


Into Thin Air

by LaylaEvercrest



Category: Final Fantasy VIII, Squinoa - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Timelines, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship/Love, Implied Sexual Content, Love, Love Triangles, Original Character(s), Other, Romance, Sexual Tension, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2017-11-12 18:43:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 126,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/494432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaylaEvercrest/pseuds/LaylaEvercrest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was almost a year to the day when they had woken up from their deep sleep to find he had gone missing. A year since the day they found out that to the rest of the world, Commander Squall Leonheart, never existed. It was like their love.. never was. Rinoa refuses to stop searching for her lost Knight, but is she willing to follow her most hated enemy over the edge to find him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: From Within The Darkest Hour

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: From Within The Darkest Hour  
FF8 is not owned by me. I'm just dreaming.

Beta: HeartlessTitania

ooo000ooo

Chapter 1: From Within The Darkest Hour

ooo000ooo

She never understood the phrase, 'it's cold as hell outside'. Who determined hell was cold? Most artists depicted hell as having flames that burned the flesh of sinners, so where did the view of it being a frozen wasteland in which nothing could grow come from?

She had her theories of what hell was, and none of those images came to mind.

Hell was absence. It was the realization that, despite all effort, one could no longer feel the love of those who cared for them in their darkest hour. Hell was the realization that even when surrounded by a thousand screaming people, one was still alone in their vastly silent world. It's the absence of hope of ever finding the peace they once knew.

That is a hell. Rinoa understood all too well.

Tonight, the only sound in the filthy streets of Trabia was the sound of her boots crushing the snow beneath them. The thin light casted from the street lamps did nothing to penetrate the darkness of the nearly abandoned warehouse district. Usually, a smart girl wouldn't find herself walking these streets alone and unarmed like she was, but as she tied up her scarlet red hair, she knew she had no choice. Carrying a weapon— especially hers— would alert those who were out searching for her

The dilapidated structures she passed were the sound reminders to keep the fear she was feeling untraceable in her features. If she hadn't, the men who had found their way there would draw to her like vultures. They would circle her as their target, biding their time until they had the opportunity to strike. It was for survival that she learned to walk these streets with assurance. Only the strongest could survive here.

Her destination laid straight ahead, and its weathered black doors was an eye sore— even for these parts. She didn't need to look at her watch to know that she was late. The music flooding the empty streets warned her that the people waiting for her would not be happy.

Laying her hand flat on the door, Rinoa allowed her weakness to show for a moment. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the mission— her objective— and the people relying on her. She prompted herself that failure was not an option and pushed through the door amassed with scars.

A wall of cigarette smoke and catcalls assaulted her right away. Since starting this gig two months ago, she had to develop a thicker skin to withstand crude comments and unwanted touches as she pushed her way through the crowd on her way to the bar. It was just another night in the midst of others, and there were more important things to worry about then that cat calls she heard. Leading the list was her boss, who laid in wait for her appearance.

Middle-aged and poorly groomed, he was a retired Galbadian soldier who lost an eye in the last sorceress war. Thin wisps of hair tried to hide the sunspots on his balding head, but that was not the first thing you noticed about the man. No, it was the stench of chewing tobacco and whiskey. It was the only armor he wore now

"Get your worthless ass over here, Rin," Jack's jagged voice ordered while filling two beer glasses at once.

Rinoa internally sighed at the greeting— and yes— that was considered a friendly greeting in these parts.

Rinoa did her best to squeeze past the ardent men with her chastity still intact. Quickly, she unzipped her black powder puff jacket before ducking under the bar to throw it in a corner.

Rinoa could feel the hungry men's eyes burning her skin with their shameless gazes as she clocked in. Unfortunately for her, her plunging scarlet silk top and painted on leather pants allowed plenty of visual stimulation.

"This worthless ass brings in your customers, Jack." She shouted out to remind him with irritation.

Men pushed towards her section now, all trying to order over each other.

"Only when you're behind the bar!" He blasted back before turning away with a drink order.

That was true. The owner has seen his books for the first time go into the black since her employment. Still, the treatment by her boss was less than ideal and even at times bordered on worrisome. However, she needed the cover and the job. It offered her great security in this location that she couldn't do without.

Pushing all those thoughts to the back of her mind, she set up her stations before shouting out to no one particular, "What will it be tonight?"

"Top shelf whiskey on the rocks, babe." The closest man who had been fortunate to score a spot in her section ordered.

"Got it," she said quickly, turning around to go under the bar for the stash of high-end liquor.

This was yet another one of her bright ideas that kept her boss in the black. Despite being called "top shelf," it was her idea to place it in a lower position underneath the bar. Before this, everyone ordered the cheapest beers and liquors because of their placement. It didn't take a genius to figure out why they kept ordering them. Once Rinoa had switched the placements around, the orders for the most expensive bottles went through the roof, and in turn, cushioned her boss's bottom line. That saved her worthless ass so many times; Hyne only knew she was a klutz who couldn't remember what liqueurs went into Galbadian martini.

Feeling their eyes burning into the Balamb Lion tattoo that richly adorned her lower back. She let the men linger and took few extra seconds to check that the measuring spout was secure. The little extra show always seemed to bump up the tip at the end of the night.

"Twenty gil," she demanded, sadly knowing she wouldn't see any of that money.

"What? That's a total rip off!" the man shouted, his eyes never rising higher than her collarbone. "I can get the same drink across the street for half the price."

She cocked her eyebrow, letting the warm brown fluid wash over the ice before looking over to the next patron. He was a younger man wearing a business suit with no purpose being in such a place if it hadn't been for the local talent serving him a healthy dosage of cleavage.

"Twenty gil," she offered it to him instead, garnering a surprised look from the original patron.

"What the-?" The previous cad questioned as the younger man slowly went for his pocket book.

Rinoa smirked as she took the young man's money and shoved it in the waistband of her leather pants. She knew every man would follow the money's path. It was a sad truth known to all; sex sells and the illusion that there was a possibility of sex got her higher tips.

She turned to the previous patron. "Get your cheap ass over to the next bar before I call security."

With that warning in effect, Rinoa called out for the next order and did what she did every night. She poured shots and took them with them when offered. The familiar numbing sensation it presented was her escape. It helped dull her senses so when she saw someone dropping a hundred gil on the bar, she would lose enough inhibitions and do what was required of her.

Laying flat on the bar, Rinoa lifted her shirt to place a shot glass filled to the brim in her navel. She finished it off by smudging some salt on her stomach and placing a lime wedge in between her teeth.

It was all for show, and the hundred-gil tip helped, but she couldn't deny how fractures her spirit had become doing this night after night.

The stranger's tongue violated her skin as it lapped up the salt. It made her want to leap off the bar and show him how very dangerous she could be, but she forced herself to hold still. The worse was yet to come anyways.

The lanky brunette drunkenly pushed himself up on the bar and hovered over her. Placing his lips on the shot glass, he quickly whipped his head back so the liquor would fall freely back. Usually, she just closed her eyes and pretended it was someone else— someone who meant something to her.

But seeing his face over her sent her to another time. With brown bangs spilling forward, for a second she thought she saw blue eyes causing her heart to stop. His lips lightly brushed hers. Eagar to linger longer, but smart enough not to, his lips quickly retreated with the lime in his mouth to the roar from his companions. Freed from the painful bed the wood bar had made, she looked at him once more to see golden eyes celebrating his courageous feat.

Rinoa quickly washed her mouth out with more alcohol before sensing a demanding presence looming in the back of the room.

A single man, dressed in a long black trench coat stood by the door watching her. With skin nearly as white as the buzzed crop hair he sported, a weary frown seemed to be always pinned to his face. Oddly, it seemed to be an understood rule that the last stool in her section was his. No one ever sat there.

Rinoa smiled at his punctuality and skipped the theatrics by just pouring a drink from his private whiskey stash. No matter how she responded to him, his generous tip would always be there, and his eyes would remain fixated on the wooden bar. Her eyes would always sneak back to him, her sole target.

"Hey love," she placed his whiskey and a glass down before leaving him to his thoughts.

She kept tabs on him throughout the night as he continuously traced over a pair of initials carved into the bar. For a while, she had wondered if those initials meant something to him, but after a little research, she found those initials were that of the local drunk who died a year ago. This drunk had no family and certainly no friends. This made it likely that the man's motions were out of routine rather than sentimental. He was an absolute mystery to her.

He never spoke more than a few words to her before leaving her with more questions than answers. Tonight seemed different right off the bat, though. He ignored his drink for her and watched her as she took shots with the locals. She could tell he was processing her every move and it made her anxious.

When she saw him lift his full glass towards her, she moved with urgency towards her best client.

"I'm leaving town tomorrow," he stated simply waiting for some response from her in return.

Rinoa slumped over the bar a bit while propping her head with one hand. She could hear her boss yelling about her poorly timed break.

"Really? I'm missing your pocket book already," She sighed wondering if this is where it would end.

A smile pulled at the corner of his lips, but he refused to give in to the simple emotion.

"Pour yourself a glass," he ordered pointing towards his bottle.

"I'm more of a cheap bourbon kind of girl. No sense of messing with my tastes if you're not going to be around tomorrow," she chided, but in reality she always picked the cheaper booze knowing her even cheaper boss watered it down. Her tolerance had grown while working here, but her liver wouldn't thank her if she started in on that kind of drinking.

"A glass." This time he ordered more firmly in a tone that told her just to listen.

Giving him a glance look over, Rinoa grabbed another glass and reached out to pour. His rough hands beat her to the bottle and, proceeded to pour more into her glass than she would have liked.

This was an interesting turn of events; she thought to herself as she picked up the glass with hesitation.

Looking up at him she saw he was waiting for her to drink first, so she raised her glass up silently and knocked it back while bracing for the fire.

After a second she coughed but added a nod in appreciation. "That's some good stuff."

"A rare bottle from Esthar," he agreed, already making this the longest conversation they have ever had. His hand went to pour her another glass.

"Watch it, buddy. I want to be able to count my gil at the end of the night," she mocked, but was unwilling to walk away from him despite engaging her boss.

"I've watched you here for a while," he acknowledge while still being as unreadable as ever.

"Like what you see?" She leaned back allowing his eyes a full view of her, and for once, he actually took the time to let himself enjoy the view.

"I do," he acknowledged. "And there is no doubt in my mind that you're the kind of girl who knows exactly how much gil you have on you at all times. You work hard."

Rinoa felt the heat of his eyes go to the exposed skin her low riding pants gave her, and suddenly she felt naked and exposed.

His head tilted to the side as lust filled him. "What won't you do for a few gil?"

Her jaw tightened. "Just about anything, but what you probably want."

He studied her in amusement, and slowly, a smile formed. He took the bottle and poured her another drink. "Really? Sure there is no amount that can persuade you? I'm a wealthy man."

"Don't take it to heart. No man's gil can." She stood her ground firmly, hoping that would be enough to end the awkward conversation.

"Well, what about just taking a look at a picture then?" he requested in defeat. "See, I'm looking for someone."

"Are you kidding?" she scoffed at the turn of events. "I'm not a snitch. That kind of bull would hurt my tips in the long run."

"Good thing there is nothing to snitch about." He put his hands together sizing her up. "He's a missing person I'm hoping to find. He's no criminal... Just lost."

"Yeah sure." She leaned back from the bar taking her freshly poured drink in hand. "That's what all the bounty hunters say, but it's never the truth."

"Three hundred gil just for you to tell me if you've ever seen this man before," he baited her by sliding out a roll of paper gil. The man was serious, and there was not enough strength to hide the surprised look that came across her face.

"You know most people would just lie to you for that kind of gil," she warned. It was true. When most bounty hunters were willing to slide her a few gil for some information, it was her practice to take the gil and make up an elaborate story. She was practically doing a favor for him by being so blunt..

"If you do, so be it." His smile pressed into a thin line as he passed the time by staring at her chest.

Why was he so desperate for her to just look at a single picture? To offer so much gil with absolutely no information was sounded off warning bells. It also seemed to peek her interest. She had to follow this lead no matter what the outcome was.

"Quick," she nodded in agreement, as the man quickly hunted for the picture in his jacket.

She steadied herself on the bar with her elbows. Once again, the effects of her work life were starting to take their toll all at once. When the black and white surveillance photo slipped onto the bar, she hardly batted an eye at the man pictured looking over his shoulder. Most of it was blurry and grainy, likely from it being enlarged.

Still, it was good enough that someone could make a positive ID.

Rinoa tilted her head to the side and let out a long sigh. Her fingers traced the handsome man's firm jaw line. His icy eyes and stone cold expression could easily freeze her in place. His brown hair was ruggedly unkempt and cut into crass layers that obscured his eyes.

"Damn, nothing that fine has ever been around here," she said smiling at the picture of the man caught on film unexpectedly. "Hey, when you find this guy would you give him my number?"

With that, she dismissively slammed her fist on the picture before flattening it for its reward. The man watched her with more intrigue now.

"Never seen him, huh?" he asked once.

"I said no," she warned him more sternly. "For what it's worth, I'm telling the truth for once. Oh, and I totally meant it when I said he should give me a call."

The man looked down at his picture once more before letting out an exasperated sigh. He simply threw the entire wad of bills onto the bar without even counting it.

"Have a good life!" Rin shouted as he quickly disappeared through the door.

She turned back to the bar that appeared to be on the verge of a riot.

"You think we can get some service here sugar?" a bearded dockworker shouted causing her to scowl.

"I'll get to you sooner or later," she barked back as she carefully turned her back to hide the wad of gil in her leather boot. Only then did she notice her hands were trembling to the point of being useless.

"Just breathe," she whispered as she steeled herself against the flood of emotions that wanted to spring forth. This was not the time to falter— especially when others may be watching.

"Damn it Rin! Do you not hear all those men behind you? I'm going to can your ass tonight!"

That was the reminder she needed to pull herself together. The real world wasn't going to stop for her, so as if nothing had happened at all, she forced herself to get back up.

"Ok, fellas, who's next?" she asked turning around with a devilish smirk.

The rest of the night she continued to drown herself in her work. The last two hours of her shift was painfully slow despite the high demand for spirits. But as their large bouncer, Toni, kicked out the last few drunks, Rinoa wasted no time in grabbing her jacket.

"You're not skipping out so easily Rin." Her boss's voice cornered her as she stood up with her jacket in hand.

"Get away from me, Jack," she warned without a second glance.

"After you just ran my best customer away tonight? I don't think so."

That's when Rinoa turned around to see him. The proximity made the sleeping forces in her body ignite, making her need to escape that much more urgent.

"What did you say to him, Rin?" Jack asked, backing her into the bar.

"Nothing," She responded truthfully. "He said it was his last night in town. What would you have me do, Jack? Chain him to the bar?"

Undeterred, he sneered at her. "I saw him proposition you."

This was becoming ridiculous. "Oh come on Jack, I'm a bartender, not a prostitute."

Apparently, that was the wrong answer as he pushed into the bar.

"What makes you think you're worth more than a few gil?" He asked shoving her again. "Maybe had you taken his offer he would've found a reason to stay."

Rinoa clenched her jaw as she tried to diffuse the situation before either one of them lost their temper completely.

"Trust me, that wasn't what he was after anyways. He would've been out of here had I spent the night with him or not." She tried to assure him.

That made her boss's eyes narrow. "Really and what makes you so sure of that?"

When she saw the ex-soldier eyes darkened, her throat went dry as she struggled to voice an answer that would suit him.

"Listen, Jack, " She started. "He just wanted me to look at a picture-"

"Oh, so now you're a snitch!" He exploded, pushing her hard against the wall, sending a few liquors to meet their end. "Do you know what kills bars? People like you who snitch and run off customers. Is that what I get for taking you in?"

Dizzy, Rinoa shook her head with dismay. "You're kidding me, right? No one came here before me. Jack, the guy is a missing person case, and I've never seen him before."

"Oh… And he paid you all that gil stuffed in your boot for that?" His hand pushed her even harder making more bottles come crashing down. Feeling a sharp pain in her shoulder, Rinoa had enough was nearly ready to lose her own temper.

Jack slammed against her this time, holding her neck tightly as he breathed in her face. "You're nothing special, girl. Just another whore I found on the street that was desperate. Hell, Toni has a better rack than you."

She couldn't help the spiteful laugh that left her. "Well unless you're patrons are willing to play with a stick shift, I'm the best thing you got going for this bar."

Rinoa saw his fist ball up and rise just as the sound of cocking shotgun could be heard from the darkness.

"Lets let the pretty lady go, partner."

She recognized the voice instantly despite not being able to see him in the storage room.

Wide-eyed, jack's fist slowly lowered. "Who's there? Toni!"

"Toni's busy in the back, and who I am ain't important right now. You going to let go of my pretty friend now?" The voice asked with patience waning.

Jack took a step back in defeat letting Rinoa dart under the bar and out towards safety.

 

ooo000ooo

 

As she retreated into the snowy streets of Trabia, Rinoa was quickly reminded by the elements of the black powder puff jacket in her hand. Shrugging into it, Rinoa felt something in her pocket— something heavy— that hadn't been there before and plunged her hand into its pocket to retrieve it. What she found was a small metal object wrapped in cords.

Pulling out the MP3 player, Rinoa looked up to the stars.

"Thank Hyne," she smiled before unwrapping the cords and popping the buds into her ears.

She played with it some as she walked before the player came to life. Only one song was listed, and to her surprise, it was a song called, "Kung Fu Fighting."

A small smile came to her remembering how it was once hummed to her from an energetic soul while at a place that existed far from there

She pressed play and heard a series of beeps connecting her to an open channel. A familiar voice rang clear through the ear buds.

"Hey, Rinoa? Can you hear me out there?"

She smiled. It had been a long time and the friendly voice made her want to cry, but now wasn't the time to have an emotional breakdown. She knew that despite the streets appearing to be deserted, something had to be up if he wasn't willing to come meet her in person.

"Hey babe, I've got a microphone sewn into your jacket. First off, cough if you're ok."

She knew what the ok stood in place for, and that was sober. She failed to cough, which lead to an exasperated sigh from her normally enthusiastic male counterpart.

"Damn, ok, we got trouble princess." She frowned at his choice of name for her. Only two other people called her that, and she wished it would stay that way. "Three men are ransacking your apartment right now. No idea what they are looking for, but your cover is blown. So I think it's best if you started walking towards the train station."

The news was deeply unsettling. She could just imagine the men tearing her room apart right now, and it was enough to make her blood boil.

"Rin now's not the time," he reminded her soft.

She knew he was right and forced herself to stumble in the opposite direction of her apartment, cursing the fact that she was about to leave nearly everything she had behind.

"Eyes are in the sky," the voice spoke through the ear buds once more. She refused to look up, but she knew that she was being watched over. That should be comforting, but again, that could only mean one thing. "You've got two behind you, and from what I can see, there is one waiting up ahead. Did something happen at work today? Hum Kung Fu Fighting if yes…"

Now he was just messing with her and in her current state it wasn't appreciated. Slowly she started to mimic the music- as best as she could remember.

"That was seriously awful, Rinoa," he laughed at her misery. "Heads up! The two following you split from each other and are going around to the next alley. We aren't the only ones in communications. What happened at the bar? Touch your hair if it was something to do with our mission…"

She quickly brushed back the few fly away strands of her scarlet hair.

"Sniffle if it has anything to do with him."

She mimicked a cold and sniffled a bit tugging her jacket closer. Being followed was unnerving and knowing someone was waiting for her up ahead was downright frightening. She almost wished she hadn't known in the first place.

"You're about to cross an alley. He's waiting for you there— ceasing communications. We're watching Rin—" Suddenly the mp3 player started to play the irritating song that had been downloaded for her. Rinoa's annoyance was cut short when someone ripped the buds out of her ears and pulled her into the alley.

"Hey-!" She screamed, but any further attempts of calling out were dashed when thick leather gloves covered her mouth.

She was thrown violently against the brick wall with her head hit first, causing a splitting headache to add to her alcohol fueled haziness.

Rinoa let out a whimper as a man's weight crashed on top of her securing her from being able to fend him off.

"We meet again," spoke the familiar voice.

Rinoa opened her eyes to see her mysterious patron with the black trench coat. Rinoa only had seconds to figure out who he was and who had sent him. She allowed her face to display her genuine confusion.

"I thought maybe a more civilized conversation out of the view of your boss might yield better results." His hand dropped from her lips.

Doing her best to stay calm, Rinoa kept up the charade, "I told you I don't know who he is. I was serious when I told you that-"

"Is that why you are walking to the train station with none of your things?"

Her eyes widened. So he was behind the looting of her apartment. Now more than ever was she uncertain of whom he worked for and what he would do to her. She needed to answer him now, and she had to take a calculated guess that he wasn't SeeD.

"Are you for real?" she asked, hoping to Hyne that he believed her charade. "Listen, I'm behind on my rent, and my boss fired me. If I don't skip out, I'll be in real trouble."

He studied her face trying to detect any hint of betrayal in her words, but he would find none because, for the most part, what she was telling the truth.

"Listen I was serious back there when I said I didn't recognize the man in the picture, but both you and I know this isn't some missing person's case. Who is he? Maybe I've heard of him."

The man in black studied her a bit longer until a vibration from his wrist. Rinoa couldn't see what he was looking at but whatever it was alerted him to something that made him nervous.

"We'll meet again," he stated hastily.

"Who's the guy?" she asked again with more urgency, wanting him to say his name out loud. Just once for her sanity's sake.

"Until we meet again, Sorceress Heartilly," he smiled all knowingly.

Once more, a shock wave rippled through her. The man's weight dropped off her suddenly, allowing her to legs to give our and drop long the wall.

The figure walked away and for a few minutes she was left there alone in the snow, with her heart trying to escape from her chest. Moments later she heard a voice call out her name.

Relief washed over her when she saw Zell running towards her.

Diving into the snow next to her, Zell grabbed her arms and searched for any injuries. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"Zell…" Rinoa started but stop short.

"Who the hell was that guy? SeeD? Did they track us down?" He fired off a million miles an hour.

"Zell-" Rinoa spoke more urgently now, while looking up into his eyes, completely lost.

"Holy, shit Rinoa. You're far from ok." Zell recoiled a bit from her breath.

"He had a picture of him, Zell," Rinoa finally communicated.

She waited for a reaction, but the martial artist did nothing but look blankly back at her.

A car pulled into the alley as neither one spoke anything. Selphie opened the driver's door and stepped out. "Quistis is waiting at the station."

"We shouldn't stick around too long," a voice called out from the roof top. Irvine scaled down a fire escape with a shotgun secured to his back. "We don't know who those guys were, but it sounds like they're coming back for her."

Zell never broke eye contact as he considered all their options. "They're right. We need to go to the train station."

Rinoa blinked a few times in horror. Did he not hear what she said?

"Rin?" Zell questioned seeing her head starting to shake.

"No," She rebuffed him. "No! We can't leave yet... He knows something. He has the answers we are looking for!"

Irvine landed with a thud on his feet next to her, making her jump. She was too on edge, and she couldn't even pretend to have a strong façade anymore.

"Staying would be suicidal," Irvine spoke up as he looked down at her. "We don't have eyes on the apartment anymore. Hyne knows if they bugged it or have people waiting. We meet up with Quistis…. That was the plan if our cover gets blown. You know that."

"He has a picture!" She looked up at Zell completely distraught.

No one said anything as she shivered relentlessly on the ground.

"Zell, he had a picture," Rinoa said it again breathlessly, still amazed by it herself.

Zell's eyes widened and went from Rinoa to Irvine. Selphie looked on with uncertainty.

"That man showed me a picture of Squall. Don't you know what that means?" Tears started to chap Rinoa's cheeks.

The group fell silent in disbelief, but Rinoa wouldn't stop pleading with the tattooed blonde who held eerily still. Slowly the fighter allowed a single breath to escape from him as he scratched his head in amazement.

"It means he still exists somewhere. He was real," Zell answered.

"No, he IS real," Rinoa corrected defiantly.

She watched as the truth of the statement washed over the struggling fighter. His tightened jawed relaxed slightly in submission as he looked over to Irvine. Irvine let out a long sigh, knowing that this night would change everything.

"Hey, I believe you ok?" Zell whispered while looking back towards her.

Irvine agreed quietly, "This isn't over, yet. We just have to come up with a new plan.

"Get in everyone," Selphie called out from the car. Rinoa looked up to the petite brunette who gave her a smile that was meant to encourage her. Still Rinoa could only feel the heavy weight on her shoulders.

Zell helped Rinoa to her feet. She wished she had better control of her shaking legs or that she could chalk it up to the cold weather and scandalous attire she wore. The concerned look on Zell's face told her he knew better anyway.

It was almost a year to the day from when they woke from a deep sleep after the garden celebration…

A year to the day since they found out— that to the rest of the world— Commander Squall Leonhart never existed...

A year since their love had completely vanished like it had never happened at all...

Squall Leonhart had simply fallen out of history altogether.

"Hey, I think you should take a picture of yourself for Squall, Rin," Irvine quipped on the way to the car.

Rinoa raised an eyebrow as she watched the slow cowboy gait to the car. He turned and looked over his shoulder. "That man always had a thing for leather. Bet you that fake tramp stamp would send him right over the edge."

"Irvy…" Selphie complained disgusted as she sat down in the driver's seat

Rinoa smirked a bit, wondering what he would think of her recent façade. The last two months had been hell but now knowing they weren't crazy had made it all worth it. She had seen undeniable proof that he had existed. It wasn't much, but it was something to go off of.

"Don't forget the red hair! Are you sure you want to dye it back?" Selphie perked up at an idea. "Maybe he'll like it?"

"The faux lion tattoo will take a few more weeks to wear off. Let's find him soon, so he can see it for himself." Rinoa made an effort to smile at her friends. "But the red hair is retiring without photos."

Rinoa could see Selphie frown in disappointment. "That took Quistis and I a whole week to get right. I can't believe you're going to throw out all our hard work."

Zell helped Rinoa into the warm car before sliding in himself. "We only got twenty minutes till the train leaves. We gotta make up time."

Rinoa dipped her head in agreement and felt the car shift into gear. Zell placed his arm around her shoulder giving her a warm squeeze, and there she settled for the rest of the car ride lost in thought. She tried to pull up the memory of the grainy picture once more and wondered why it was becoming increasingly more difficult to remember him. The whole world may have forgotten who Squall Leonhart was. But his friends still remembered, and they would not give up on finding answers. After all, no one disappears into thin air.

ooo000ooo

Layla's Corner

ooo000oo

The first chapter is up! Did you like it? Hate It? Review please so I know! Even as time passes reviewing keeps a fandom alive!


	2. Chapter 2: No matter the Circumstances.

ooo000ooo

Chapter 2: No matter the Circumstances.

ooo000ooo

One year ago…

Was this all real?

Rinoa's eyes fluttered open allowing the world to come into focus from the heavy sleep that had inundated her. The first sensation that came through the fog was peace. A feeling that had been missing for months and now felt almost foreign.

Her breath was still even from the first restful night's sleep since divine intervention sent an unruly and reluctant mercenary into her life. This one unsettled contract had ultimately changed the course of her destiny in many ways.

Now, her life had changed forever. No, not just her life... The world had changed. It was safe and everyone she loved was protected. It seemed… impossible. Even while celebrating the night before the accomplishment seemed like she was living in someone else's dream.

Did Hyne really favor them? Had their combined abilities really prevailed against a sorceress hell bent on melting time into a standstill?

Afraid of disturbing this wonderful dream, Rinoa searched the bond for him but came up empty. With that, an irritated smile of amusement came over her. She allowed herself to roll over to lie flat in crumpled bed sheets.

He was gone but why would that be surprising?

When no one was looking, they had disappeared from the prying eyes of their friends and invasive reporters. Finding themselves alone, the pent up disbelief and fears crashed over them, turning into passion that neither one wanted to prevent.

She could still feel his infectious words of comfort. Although brief, they tugged at her mind to accept that he was there, and would always be there- no matter what may come. She could still taste the salt of Balamb's ocean spray on his lips as they passionately overwhelmed hers.

The feeling of his lips burning her bare skin did not go away, nor did the euphoric feeling she experienced when unexpected words of love that slipped through them that night. She finally knew what it felt like to be held at night and what it was like not to be afraid.

All of it had been what she needed in that moment, a feeling of closeness, and acceptance—despite each other's obstacles. It made her almost feel… human. A feeling she was struggling to feel after their moment in space.

Rinoa placed her hand on her forehead in a vain attempt to let her mind recall the monumental night to relive it once more. The only thing that could have made their first night together any better was if he had been there when she woke up.

Then again, oddly enough, she was almost thankful for the imperfectness of it. It secured the fact that it had been real and not a dream.

It was amazing how fast the world around her was slipping back into routine. It was as if nothing had ever happened, leaving her to walk around Garden in a daze. It was clear when she reached the cafeteria that the others, who were huddled around a table in the center of the room, felt the same way.

Zell remained eerily still. His mind was focused somewhere else. Selphie on the other hand, was unconsciously leaning against Irvine who was silently picking at his food with his fork. Quistis was the first person to raise her eyes to meet Rinoa in a silent greeting.

"This isn't awkward at all," Rinoa jested as she slid into a chair next to Quistis.

"What part?" Selphie asked perking to life with someone breaking the silence. "The fact we aren't running for our lives right now? Or the fact no one will sit anywhere near us?"

"I don't know. I think all of them staring at Rinoa wins it for me," Zell indicated, breaking from his concentration.

"Let's just go with all of them," Rinoa suggested, noticing that despite the limited seating, every table around them was absent of people. However every person's eyes flickered up continuously to watch her with an abundance of caution. "Has anyone seen Squall?"

Everyone looked at Rinoa at the same time. The unexpected reaction made her shrink back.

"What?" she asked feeling a nervous twinge at her smile.

Zell was the first to crack a smile. "We thought he was with you."

"What-? Why?" Rinoa laughed, poorly hiding the embarrassment flushing her cheeks.

"Cut the crap we all know you two disappeared after we caught you k-i-s-s-i-n-g on the balcony." Selphie had an 'I know what you were doing last night' kind of grin plastered to her face.

The hotness in the room was suddenly unbearable to Rinoa.

Irvine came instantly to Rinoa's rescue to the annoyance of his muse, "He's probably talking to Cid. You know Squall, if he isn't working he's probably dead."

"Right," Rinoa agreed, trying to shake some sense in to her own head. For some reason a feeling of trepidation came over her from not seeing him at the table. It was completely irrational, and Irvine was right. Squall's acting duties hadn't been reassigned yet. He was likely with Cid. The vibe had to becoming from the people at the cafeteria. Apparently having a newly minted sorceress in your midst would be unnerving.

At lest that is what she would keep telling herself.

"Commander Quistis?" A nervous voice broke into their conversation. All five heads turned at the same time to a female SeeD not much older than them. Approaching with caution, she saluted the group but refused to even meet Rinoa's gaze. It appeared she made the girl uncomfortable. The emotions radiating off of her was like a news bulletin.

News flash! Rinoa's powers were uncomfortable and unwelcome here. She got it loud and clear.

"Uh-" Zell stammered at the incorrect title.

"Cid has requested your team's presence immediately." She saluted her respect once more before nervously adding a second later, "S-sorceress Rinoa. He also wishes to speak with you."

"Uh, ok," Rinoa answered when the others didn't respond.

The girl gawked for a moment longer before quickly walking away from the group as fast as she could. Zell blinked a few times before he busted into laughter.

"Someone was nervous to approach us, eh commander Quistis?" Zell joked at the major gaff the SeeD made.

A small smile hinted on Quistis's face before disappearing. Rinoa couldn't help but notice the unease that had settled on her friend. She tried to get her comrade's attention, but she refused to meet Rinoa's eyes.

"Right," Quistis responded blandly. "Let's go."

Irvine looked up, fork in hand.

He piled the food into his mouth as he protested, "M-but 'm-still eatim-"

"No time for that!" Selphie argued as she stood up and playfully punched him in the back. "You heard her! Immediately! Plus Rin wants to see lover boy. Look! It's practically written all over her face!"

"What?" Rinoa scrunched her face up in displeasure. "No it's not."

It was a failed attempt to deny the truth. She even knew the pathetic lie wouldn't hold up to popular opinion, making her denial useless. She lifted her heavy body out of the chair quickly, reminding herself that her actions were speaking louder than words.

Ok, but could anyone blame a girl for wanting to see her knight in shining armor?

Rinoa watched Selphie bounce through the halls as if no time had passed since she been through them as a student. It was clear to her that she was the only person who felt that way. Many students stopped to watch in utter shock as the small brunette skipped by. Maybe they weren't use to such enthusiasm in the morning? Then again, maybe they just expected something more professional from a girl who helped save the world from ultimate destruction.

In the end, everyone's eyes eventually ended up on Rinoa as she passed. Confusion and even a hint of fear would cross their faces. Clearly the world knew of her by now. If she hadn't adjusted to the idea, how could they? With two sorceress wars in recent memory, no one would be at ease around her.

This is where she really needed Squall. She couldn't do this alone.

Cid waited behind his desk surrounded by aides, all who spoke at once. They hardly noticed the group walking in together. Rinoa searched the sea of faces for the one that would instantly quell the building anxiety in her, but a pair of stormy eyes was missing.

"There they are!" Cid stood realizing the chosen few were standing in front of him. "I promise this won't take too long. Garden is getting inundated with requests for further comments about the SeeDs who prevented time compression. So as you can see, we're a little overwhelmed here being there has never been a situation quite like this before. I felt that perhaps we should all discuss our game plan for moving forward."

"I agree, Sir," Quistis spoke up scanning the room herself. Rinoa wasn't the only one who has noticed their leader's absence.

"At this point in time, we are not willing to make any major shifts in power. Everyone will remain in their positions until the media hype has calmed down," Cid instructed as he pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. His center focus became Irvine and Rinoa. "Irvine, despite not being SeeD, you're a contracted third party. As your contract states, until your safety is guaranteed, you have our protection. Our lawyers have ruled that this line allows us to extend through times of personal interest. Until things calm down, you are to remain under contract with us. However, I was curious if you have given your future after this contract any thought? With Galbadia Garden taken over by Balamb for the time being, you are not under contract with them. We would do well with an exceptional talent like yourself in future assignments."

"Thank you, Sir," Irvine nodded. "I'm not sure about the future, but I 've been thinking of remaining in the Balamb area for time being. A temporary transfer would be mighty nice."

Selphie looked at Irvine stunned and a small smile surfaced on Rinoa's face. She wasn't the only one who has found something important in the war.

"I'm very pleased to hear that. Xu and I can come up with some legal words to make that happen." Cid's eyes fell to Rinoa, and a soft smile pressed into the middle-aged man's lips, "Rinoa."

She took in a long breath knowing her situation wouldn't be as easy.

"Cid," she kindly regarded the man.

"There is no way for Garden to express our gratitude for your help Ms. Heartilly, or the ultimate sacrifice you have endured. I personally understand that in reality your struggles are just beginning. I want you to know you that SeeD will stand to assist you-"

"But outwardly you can't," Rinoa cut in, sensing the tension building in the man. Was it her newfound powers? Or just easy perception that alerted her to the crackling pain coursing through the man who shrunk back in defeat.

"No. Unfortunately you understand SeeD's ultimate goal."

"Protecting the world from Sorceresses," she agreed. "Sir I understand and it's my hope you will never have to see me in that light."

"I believe we won't." A gentle smile reached his lips. "That is why I am offering you a temporary base until we get this media circus to die down- though this must happen in secrecy. After that I'm afraid it would be against Garden's best interests to have a sorceress in connection with it."

Of course she should have expected that. Sorceress had just used Galbadia Garden for her base. Fears would rise once more if a Sorceress occupied Balamb. After all, it is the last fully functioning Garden standing at this time.

"Honestly, I haven't thought about any plans. I know housing me is putting you out Cid…." Rinoa looked down to her feet. "I think this is something I have to discuss with Squall before I can accept."

The older gentleman looked down at his papers. "Yes, understandable. I'm sure there is many people you need to reach out to during this time. Please, take your time."

Quistis stepped forward. "Headmaster Cid, I think I speak on behalf of the team when I say it feels a little uncomfortable having this discussion without Squall present."

The man's face dropped in confusion while looking back and forth between the two of them.

"I think I am missing something," he stated shifting his weight to balance more evenly before leaning over his desk. "What does this Squall person have to do with Official SeeD business?"

The room sat in silence, but it was hard not to see Quistis straighten up as her eyes widen. For all the times to have her fall silent now was the most inconvenient time as Rinoa didn't know what to say. She was thankful for Zell who pushed through the words that everyone in the group wanted to say.

"Commander L-Leonhart," Zell stammered as he clarified, "Squall."

"Commander?" Cid looked to Quistis in confusion. "Commander, am I missing something?"

Quistis stood motionless as a rock.

"Has there been further outside assistance other than Ms. Heartilly that I do not know about?" Cid implored her.

Quistis looked back speechless, but it was Rinoa who found the panic in her extremely hard to bear silently.

"Squall Leonhart is Commander. Not Quistis-" She paused trying to feel through the bond and still the channel lay empty- quiet— completely vacant. She had chalked it up to exhaustion mixed with distance, but now as she searched more thoroughly, she realized that the bond was nothing like it had been before.

"Squall, our SeeD leader… You were just talking to him last night," Rinoa remembered it vividly. The two of them stood on the dance floor with drinks in their hands.

In reality it was Cid who had done all the talking- with a smirk on Squall's face. She never found out what the conversation was about, but at the time it had bothered her greatly not knowing because at the end of their conversation Squall laughed. Then Cid gave him a hug masked as a pat on a back.

Cid's eyes shot to Xu's instantly. "Do we have a SeeD by that name working for us?"

"Not that I can recall Sir," Xu responded instantly opening her laptop to jump on the SeeD database.

The world was beginning to shake around Rinoa.

"Sir, Squall Leonhart was the leader of this mission," Quistis informed him as her eyes darted between Xu and Cid, looking for a signs of recognition.

"You made him commander!" Zell exploded making everyone in the room jump from the outburst. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"You and Edea raised him at the orphanage with us," Selphie supplied, her own face holding traces of fear.

The room fell silent as Cid and Xu exchanged glances once more.

"I think I need to sit down…" Rinoa's own voice made a surprising appearance.

Zell was the first to move, darting past Selphie and a very silent Irvine to take a hold of Rinoa's arm. He moved with her to the back of the office where a small seating area waited.

The last bit of her strength gave out, forcing her to crash on the closest love seat to her as she started to hyperventilate. Zell's eyes flashed with concern as he squatted down in front of her.

Taking her hands in his, he whispered, "Hey, take slow even breaths."

"Zell..." she gasped trying to keep from breaking down completely. His hand went to her back, pushing her down so her head would fall between her knees.

"Hey, we're here ok?" his voice dropped so only she could hear his soothing words. "I don't know what's going on, but no matter what, we're in this together. We'll find Squall… We'll fix this…"

"I can't feel him," she said, feeling her breath returning. Yet the fear and anxiety was only mounting, as her calls remained unanswered in the bond.

"Feel him?" Zell frowned, not understanding what she meant by that.

"I think it's a sorceress thing. I normally can feel his… his energy. I can't anymore… I don't feel anything!"

Zell's eyes went back to Quistis who had taken over the meeting in the room. Her mouth moved quickly as Cid and his assistants sat back listening emotionlessly.

"He was here last night, Zell." Her eyes lifted to his face. Tears moistened her cheeks. "You remember right? You saw him there! I'm not crazy!"

"No, he was there. We all saw you two lip locking each other like a pair of horny teenagers," Zell's smirked fell short.

Rinoa should have laughed, or at the very least frowned in disapproval, but her mind went to a dark place. "What if I didn't save him? Did time compression really get prevented?"

The tattooed blonde was at a loss for words. She wanted him to argue with her and tell her that the idea was ridiculous, but he remained silent as he rubbed her back. Her head fell once more between her knees as she felt the silent sobs break free from her chest.

"I don't know," the fighter admitted suddenly, his strength was missing from his words. "I just don't know how a person is here one minute and disappears the next."

"Another sorceress?" Rinoa questioned in alarm. "Someone from the future trying to change with what happened to Ultimecia?"

That caused Zell to bristle. "Squall is the only one missing though and that apparently doesn't affect what happened with Ultimecia."

"Zell, you and I both know we couldn't have done it without Squall. We barely made it through with him."

That made him fall back on his heels in thought.

"Well, what if he really isn't gone… just gone from memory?" Zell supplied.

Her eyes searched his for some form of clarification.

"We all remember the fight. He's not gone completely. What if someone is trying to change the past?"

"Another sorceress? Trying to keep Ultimecia alive?"

"I don't know the objective and we can't rule anything out yet," he said. "But why Squall? That seems so personal."

Her eyes went wide and suddenly as she shot to her feet turning her attention towards Cid.

"Do we know where Seifer Almasy is?" Rinoa probed with a level of shakiness to her voice.

"Of course," Cid frowned. "I spoke with him this morning."

The entire team stared at their headmaster disillusioned.

"Cid, why would you speak to him after all that he has done to us?" Zell countered, following Rinoa's lead.

"What do you mean why? He's a member of our ranks, and part of your team. What did he do?" Then it dawned on Cid. He turned to Quistis after pulling a breath through his teeth. "You're saying that isn't true as well?"

"Sir, Seifer aided Ultimecia."

"That's impossible. He's our star gunblader," Xu quickly dismissed them.

Rinoa looked to Zell who met her eyes at the same time.

"Seifer is SeeD," Rinoa confirmed the worst possible scenario.

"And our Hero has suddenly disappeared. Personal vendetta?" Zell asked following the logic.

"I think we found our starting point," Rinoa nodded trying to sniffle back the tears.

Zell punched his fist into the waiting palm of his hand. "Sir, we have a theory and want permission to act on it."

With an exasperated expression Cid turned his focus towards the approaching member.

"We feel the coincidence of Seifer replacing Squall after he failed as Ultemica's Knight too obvious not to investigate."

"You want me to think he had something to do with Ultemcia? Just a few hours ago you all were celebrating together." Cid frowned lost in his memory. "I can't wrap my mind around this. I can't…I'm sorry. You all were like children to Edea and I. How could I ever believe he would be capable of this?"

"How could you forget Squall?" Rinoa whispered in response.

The old man looked taken aback by her statement and gently shook his head. "He didn't say anything this morning when I spoke to him."

"What did you talk about this morning, Sir?" Quistis inquired.

"Nothing in particular." Cid shrugged. "He stood silently as I filled him on some new missions that I had for him. I also shared that I would be talking to you all about Garden's plans moving forward. He didn't have much to say."

"Silent and Seifer in the same sentence?" Irvine cocked an eyebrow.

"It's a little unusual," Cid admitted. "But it was a late night last night. I chalked it up to exhaustion."

"Sir…. Seifer Almsay failed his exam for the third time. I was his instructor," Quistis vouched. "I agree with Zell. This is extremely beneficial to him, and that's suspicious. He has all to gain and nothing to lose from this."

"Tell me, if this was true, how could he make someone disappear? Does he have this ability in your memory?" Xu appeared to be their greatest challenger.

"No," Quistis conceded. "Somehow someone is manipulating time and if we don't get to the bottom of this I'm afraid Squall could be lost forever."

A glance of an apology flashed from Quistis as her words came down on Rinoa. She could feel her stomach twisting as her motionless heart failed her.

"How am I supposed to turn on someone who's been like a son to me? Who helped save the world?" Cid was disgusted by them.

"He didn't… Squall did. Seifer is taking advantage of you and the memories you have. Squall was one of us, Sir. We don't leave our own behind. No matter the circumstances and no matter how difficult the situation is to comprehend," Zell argued, standing his ground.

Xu turned to her boss with distrust. "Perhaps I should call Dr. Kadowaki for some assistance?"

Rinoa's patience had worn thin. "We're not crazy. We saved the world from time compression. How much harder is it to believe that someone is attempting to change the past? I'm not a SeeD so I don't need your permission. Whether or not it's sanctioned by Garden, or not, I'm going to find Seifer and get Squall back."

Rinoa turned her back on the group, despite the calls from Cid to come back to work this out. But she at least she wasn't alone. Zell followed Rinoa against Cid's command.

Storming the hallway Rinoa's anger only grew.

"This is wrong. It makes me sick to think that Seifer could just stand in front Cid and lie," Rinoa fumed, cursing the man and the day she met him. It pained her to think that they had shown him some mercy during the battle with Ultiemica. Now they were paying the ultimate price for their compassion.

Zell cautioned, "We don't know for sure that he did."

Rinoa turned to him and Zell instantly got out of slugging distance.

"We have to be realistic," Zell argued on the defensive. "He may have altered memories as well. If that's the case, then we can hardly fault him for that."

Rinoa simply rolled her eyes at him and continued to storm the halls of Balamb. The chance he wasn't behind this in Rinoa's mind was nil. The others might not realize the length Seifer had gone to on his quest to defeat his childhood rival, but Rinoa knew. She saw first hand how the torture had affected Squall. The bond between them would blur their dreams together and the end result was absolutely terrifying. Even last night, Squall couldn't escape the pain Seifer had inflicted on him.

Seifer was capable of anything. She just needed proof. Then she would see how long he would last at her hands.

ooo000ooo

The sun was setting in the eternally sleepy town of Balamb. The boats in the harbor rocked on light waves that rolled through the nearly deserted harbor. The only souls out there sat at the end of the long dock with their feet dangling over the side. That all changed when her presence didn't go unnoticed. The two quickly jumped up and watched her timidly.

Rinoa studied Raijin and Fujin too, looking for anything that would alert her that their gutless leader was somewhere nearby.

She was only going to ask once. It was more then they deserved. "Where's Seifer?"

They leaned away slightly from the hostility that was being projected before looking at each other.

"GONE," Fujin stated flatly before dropping down on the pier to ignore the Sorceress for the boats out at sea.

Rinoa couldn't control the anger in her voice. "What do you mean gone?"

"Don't know, ya know?" Raijin replied as his bulky frame managed a shrug. "Ya know how he is. One moment he's here and the next minute he's running off for some great adventure, ya know?"

"Without you two?" a voice came from behind her.

Rinoa turned to see Zell with his hands buried in his pockets. He slowly walked up beside Rinoa giving her a reassuring nod.

Apparently she hadn't done a very good job at sneaking away from Garden. She turned her focus back to the interrogation at hand. "That seems unlikely. Why would he leave you two behind?"

Raijin put his hands behind his head leaning back slightly. "He's SeeD. We're not, ya know?"

"Hyne," Rinoa huffed. She seriously couldn't take this anymore. "Where did he go? We need to find him."

"SQUALL."

The words receded all the anger Rinoa had felt and hope managed to wash in with the tide.

"What about Squall?" she asked, her voice teetering on begging. "What has he done with him?"

"Hey- we don't know anything about him, ya know?" Raijin held up his hands in defense alerting Rinoa to the crackling in the air. Her suppressed powers were coming through and the fact that she still didn't have a good hone on them was very apparent. "All he said was he had to find some guy named Squall. He was pretty hell bent on leaving his post, ya?"

"You mean neither of you know who Squall Leonheart is?" Zell asked refusing to look at Rinoa.

"NEGATIVE."

"Fujin's right. Until this morning, we've never heard of this guy. Seifer said something about him missing though. So like that," he snapped his fingers. "He took off, ya know?"

"Any idea what direction he was heading?" Zell asked with doubt in his voice.

"ESTHAR," Rajin supplied, still not looking at them.

"She's pretty pissed off that he wouldn't let her come with."

The white hair teen turned her ire on her partner.

"Come on, Rin…" Zell took her hand as the two began to fight. "We got what we needed."

She allowed herself to be pulled away, but her mind hung on every word Raijin and Fujjin divulged.

"He went to find Squall…" She muttered. "That means…."

"He's not the one behind it," Zell repeated in the same disbelief. "Seifer remembers everything and is looking for him too."

Rinoa stopped suddenly, breaking the grasp Zell had on her arm. As his eyes went back to hers, his mouth opened for a moment to say something but pushed his lips into a thin line rethinking it.

"Someone else is out there trying to change the past," Rinoa fretted.

"Yeah," Zell shifted all his weight to one leg. "But we know more than we did an hour ago and we have our next location."

Rinoa could sense the words Zell was thinking. "Zell, I don't think Cid is going to let his team go."

Cid still had his doubts and even though she was certain Quistis would eventually talk him into letting them go, by then it might be too late. Rinoa made plans to leave tonight, with or without help. Squall didn't wait for permission to jump out into outer space for her, there would be no way in hell she would hesitate for him.

"SeeD doesn't leave one of their own behind. Even if I have to go AWOL, I'm following you to Esthar. The rest of the gang pretty much feels the same way." Zell gave her a nod of support.

"I can't let you guys do that," Rinoa let out a sigh, knowing what it meant to leave your post as a SeeD. "You've worked your whole lives to get to this point."

"Hey! Don't think about it like that!" he dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "It's not like I want to live in a world where a guy like Seifer is Balamb's golden child."

Zell grinned holding out his hand for hers once more, forcing a weak smile to come to her.

"He's out there Rin and whoever has him won't get away with it," he assured with a warm smile.

"We'll find him," she whispered.

He nodded encouragingly, "You'll find him. Let's go to Esthar."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you're anxious to move on to that next chapter, but take a second and leave a review! It makes new chapters happen... Trust me! I wouldn't lie about that...


	3. Chapter 3: A Leap of Vengeance

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: A Leap of Vengeance  
Beta: HeartlessTitania

ooo000ooo

Chapter 3: A Leap of Vengeance

ooo000ooo

The sudden jolt of the unsteady train caused Rinoa to topple nearly backward. Her hand slammed against the mildew-tiled wall as she flipped her freshly dyed black hair back. The sting of the freshly washed hair and subsequent beads of water sent shivers throughout her pale naked body. Looking up into the fog ridden mirror, Rinoa couldn't help but marvel at the reflection of the semi-familiar girl she had lost in touch with during her mission. Her fingers wiped the build up of condensation off the mirror, revealing her naked self further. There, peering from her side, she caught the edge of Balamb Lion tattoo gracing her back.

A sigh was released from her shivering lips as she twisted to get a better view of the beast making her skin it's temporary home. Zell, who had a natural talent for drawing, came up with the temporary tattoo one night on their way to Trabia while discussing her new persona.

The Lion's majestic main flowed in soft waves around its head that was caught ferocious roar. Ready for battle his claws lashed out in a fighting stance. It almost seemed as if it were protectively stretching out to guard her. In truth, it was a dismal replacement for the other proud lion that once stood by her. In a few more weeks, it would gone and by then she would be back to her old self. Only then could she permanently forget the second life she had been living while searching for them.

Rinoa struggled to get the bra over her increasingly thin frame. Her wet body wanted to cling to everything that it touched, but slowly she was able to squeeze into a pair of dark denim and a plain simple white T-shirt.

When she finally opened the bathroom, it was Zell who waited patiently against the wall of the communal bathroom. It appeared he had been guarding it against any passenger who might've disturbed her. His long blonde bangs had been towel dried, and unruly pushed aside. It was then she caught the scent of his SeeD standard issued body wash that permeated the hallway air.

Fixed on his face was a stern frown that would not break. She released a smile hoping it would be enough to break the spell he was under, but when he casted her long worried glance she knew nothing would work. It was so unlike him that had it not been for the large tribal tattoo on his face, she might've not recognized him at all. For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other- lost in time.

"Hey," he finally broke the ice letting his trademark smile come through despite the tension.

That smile, she realized, was what had kept her going for so long. However little by little, it was disappearing. Instead of the optimistic smile that could get them through anything, a subdued look of apprehension was beginning to claim its place. His feelings on the mission were starting to change. He had concerns about her wellbeing before and previously had wondered out loud if what they were doing was coming at a steep price.

"Hey right back at you," she tried to force another smile, but the trail left by a tear rolling down her check was going to rob her of any acting awards.

She was beginning to wonder it too. How long could they keep this up?

Zell, upon seeing her tear, took her into a fierce bear hug. A grip like his was as close to being in a vice as it comes, but she welcomed it. It allowed her the freedom to come undone without the fear of falling apart completely. The fearless veneer she had in place for so long was broken, and there was no way she could prevent what would happen next. She pressed her head deeply into his shoulder and cried deep painful sobs that were far too embarrassing for anyone else to hear.

"One step closer Rinoa. Why don't you see that?" he whispered into her ear as he stroked her wet hair.

"One step forward and fifty steps back. We still don't know anything more than we did in Esthar!" She sobbed harder forcing him to strengthen the vice.

"That's not true," he countered, but anything else he was planning to say suddenly got lost on its way out. She was sure he was questioning how much more of this they could take before it would consume them whole. Could he let Rinoa hold out hope without damaging her completely?

Rinoa pressed her head deeper into his shoulder, trying to block the painful memories that were always ruthlessly swarming around in her head.

Eleven months ago in Esthar…

The charismatic President of Esthar had been more than pleased to welcome his unexpected guests into his sprawling urban compound. So much so, that he practically sent a fleet of escorts to bring them through the technically advanced metropolis.

Rinoa first saw Laguna standing with Ellone in the grand parlor that overlooked the futuristic city. The president had ordered tea to be brought as he sat down next to his long-lost stepdaughter. Seeing those two utterly carefree reminded Rinoa that there was no way their morning reunion would end pleasantly.

Never once did Squall's name pass through their lips in their greeting, and they seemed oblivious to the fact that their loved one was missing. Their small talk seemed to go on forever, and Rinoa knew she was doing a poor job of getting through this meeting when Zell seemed to be the only one giving any reply at all.

Laguna sipped his tea before loudly clanking it on the saucer before him. "I know you two didn't travel here on a whim. So let's get to business."

Rinoa adjusted herself in the overly stuffed white chair as Laguna crossed his legs and leaned back casually. "What made you call so urgently? Not more trouble, is it?"

Zell's eyes went to Rinoa, knowing this was not going to be an easy conversation.

Zell had chosen to take the lead, for which Rinoa was eternally thankful for. Being so close to Laguna made her search his face for any familiar presence within him that would remind her of Squall. It crushed her when searching his face yielded nothing. Was it possible for a child to inherit nothing from one parent?

"Trouble might be an understatement," Zell warned.

"I was afraid of that," Laguna frowned taking his tea in his hand once more while waiting for him to continue, but Zell hesitated slightly, not knowing how to start this conversation.

"This is going to sound odd-" Zell then shook his head, knowing there was no real way to break this gently.

"Odder than time compression?" Laguna probed as he smiled skeptically. "Will my old heart be able to take it?"

"I hope you have a doctor on standby," Zell muttered now a bit concerned that he hadn't taken that into consideration.

Laguna, who had been sipping his tea, sputtered for a second and ungracefully set it down on the table in front of him.

"Does the name Squall Leonhart mean anything to you?" Zell asked, but from his tone it was clear he wasn't holding on to any hope.

"Should it?" Laguna questioned.

It was the reaction Rinoa had expected, but there was no way to prevent her heart from lurching in her chest like someone had struck her from behind. Her eyes fluttered down to the carpet as she drew back from the conversation in a desperate bid to keep her emotions in check.

"He was our leader- and temporary commander of Balamb Garden during the fight with Ultimecia," Zell clarified, waiting for any recognition before jumping to conclusions.

Laguna's eyes became unfocused as he reached back into his memories. "I'm sorry to say if I had met him I don't remember it. I thought Quistis was commander though?"

Zell's mouth twitched for a moment, but he gracefully ignored the comment.

"You have met him, Sir." Zell pressed on, "He was responsible for saving all of us. And he's suddenly gone missing."

"That's unfortunate," Laguna said while leaning over with his hands in his lap. "What is Garden doing about this?"

"That's the thing, Sir. He hasn't just gone missing... physically. It seems no one, but us even remembers him."

Laguna's brows pulled together in thought as he studied the fighter. "You're serious about this?"

"Yes, Sir." Zell waited for a more apparent reaction to come through the president's guarded face.

"And Garden?" the president asked again.

"Doesn't have any records of him. He has been completely wiped clear off the grid, and they have no interest in helping us search for him."

"That's unfortunate," Laguna stated, pausing for a moment to pick up his tea once more.

"He's your son," Rinoa blurted out.

It took her a moment to recognize the sound of her voice and even longer to register the reaction Laguna made at the sudden confession. The cup never made its intended journey to his lips. Instead, it hung in the air as his eyes bore into hers in absolute disbelief. Slowly the teacup lowered as he regarded the two closely for any signs of humor.

"A son?" Well, it wasn't an outright rejection of the idea- which was impressive to begin with- but it was clear he wanted to dismiss the notion as soon as possible.

"Uncle Laguna?" Ellone looked up at him uncertain about what to make of this revelation.

"By Raine... you had a son," Rinoa informed him, attempting to clarify the muddled disclosure.

"That's impossible," Ellone tried to interject, but Laguna held up a hand to stop her.

It was clear from Ellone's expression that she wanted to cry foul, but once she saw her uncle's worried expression, she held back and sat in silence. The carefree smile had fallen, and now Laguna searched Rinoa for a reason as to why she would say such a thing.

"My late wife and I had no children Rinoa. I left immediately after we married to search for Ellone-"

"And you're saying there is no chance she could have become pregnant before you left?" Zell called his bluff.

Rinoa shot Zell a look that was meant to signify he had gone too far, but Zell held his ground and waited for the president to answer.

"Ok, this conversation has become awkward." Laguna seemed to want to flee from this conversation, triggering Ellone to step in on her Uncle's behalf

"What are you trying to say, Zell? I saw Raine before…." The memory halted Ellone in her tracks for a moment as she blinked a few times to keep the tears away. "I was there, Okay?"

Ellone had to stop to collect her breath before continuing. "There was no baby. Zell, why are you doing this? Did she put you up to this? Where are the others?"

"She did sis," Zell spoke up as he took her anger in stride. He met her cynical glare and refused to back down. "He went to the orphanage with you when Raine died."

"What?" she laughed in a disgusted tone. "Uncle Laguna, I was there when she died. There was no baby. I don't know what you two are trying to pull, but it's insulting to Raine's memory. If there had been a baby, I would've protected it. Laguna would have returned! "

Her words reverberated throughout the silenced room. Rinoa looked to Zell, who struggled a bit with the fact that he was upsetting someone who had been like an older sister to him. He took a breath trying to calm himself down and tried to take this from another angle.

"It's not just you sis," Zell forged on. "The whole world has forgotten him. He was there with us at the orphanage and, believe me, you did protect him for as long as you could."

"You're both serious about this?" Laguna seemed just to be coming to grips with the words they were saying. "This is not a joke?"

Zell looked back to the shell-shocked father. "No, sir. I respect you too much to joke about something like this."

The group sat for a moment in silence, each one coming to terms with the other. Laguna eyes slowly fell to the tea that lay untouched far too long now to be warm.

"I take it Seifer hasn't been here if this all comes as a shock to you," Rinoa guessed, her voice low from the emotions that toiled in her.

"No, I haven't seen any of you since you were here last," Laguna replied hoarsely.

"That's another thing," Zell mumbled and went on to fill in the remaining gaps.

If Laguna believed any of it, he wasn't letting on. He remained ghostly white and unreadable in his chair, as he carefully let the new information wash over him. Rinoa's eyes encountered Ellone's, who seemed to study the sorceress apprehensively. Ellone would be their greatest opposition, and yet she was the only one who could help her at this moment.

"Can you send me back into the past?" Rinoa asked making the small woman jump.

Everyone in the room stopped and stared at Rinoa, but she kept a hold of Ellone's gaze.

"Why?" she countered, surprised at the sudden request.

"I want to see if he still exists somewhere. See if there is any clue to when he disappeared from your memories. I don't understand why we're the only ones who seem to remember him, but I think you can help with that." Rinoa could see Ellone wanting to protest, but she hesitated. "Please, he was like your little brother. He loved you and I lo-"

Oh no, it was the worst time for her voice to get stuck in her throat. Rinoa looked down and blinked away the tears away.

"Ellone," Laguna looked sideways to her.

Ellone looked slightly hurt by Laguna. "Don't tell me you're buying into this?"

"Time compression," he contemplated as he looked down. "What if we're missing something?"

"Laguna, do you really think Raine wouldn't have sent word about a baby?"

Laguna's eyes went unfocused trying to call up his feelings.

"My son? A SeeD?" he questioned once more. Suddenly, fear struck Rinoa as she wondered if Ellone had convinced him to be set dead against them.

Zell jumped in quickly to encourage the president, "Yes sir. He handled saving the world. You should be proud of him."

Laguna had trouble swallowing a thought that crossed his mind.

"If he was SeeD… I wasn't in his life, was I? I can't see myself letting my blood become a for-hire mercenary- no offense," he waved apologetically at Zell.

Zell grimaced a bit at the indirect slam, but Rinoa understood where the president was coming from. She had her own issues with their way of handling business by letting the money select what causes they believed in. But after standing with Squall in the life that destined for him, she learned that SeeD had all been for a greater cause. How could she explain that to him though?

"You had just learned of him, Laguna. You two haven't even spoken about Raine or the past," Zell attempted to comfort the man in front of them.

"Knowing Squall, he won't want to bring it up anyways," Rinoa added. "He's very prideful and stubborn that way."

"He was angry." Laguna covered his mouth with his hand in concern. He leaned over with his elbow coming to rest on his knee, lost in his thoughts. "Of course, he would be. I abandoned him."

It was then in that pose Rinoa saw the resemblance to Squall. Laguna pinched the bridge of his nose fighting back a growing migraine. Even though it was over for a brief second, she had seen the family resemblance that she had longed to see. It was almost like seeing the man she loved right in front of her.

"He sits the same way when he is thinking," she whispered. The words flew out of her mouth so fast she didn't have time to think of how they would impact the older man. His eyes lifted to her in awe. Since it was far too late to retract the words, she went and followed that train of thought more carefully.

"Whenever Squall is… overwhelmed… he tends to retreat into his head. When he thinks he's alone, he hunches over like that and covers his mouth with his hand. Once he's frustrated himself enough, he will lean back slightly and pinch the bridge of his nose… Just like you did now," her voice trailed off painfully as she looked down to her shoes, unable to take the president's eyes on her anymore. "I've never seen his mother, but I think he looks a lot like her. His warm brown hair was wildly untamed like yours though."

Laguna subconsciously brushed his hair back as he sat up straight. This was working, and Rinoa couldn't let this opportunity pass her by.

"Squall is always so serious and analytical. He has a hard time understanding people's humor at times and can come off as unsympathetic. From the memories Zell had witnessed of your life; this seems to fit the description of Raine when you were brought to Winhill."

"I remember she sat there and listed everything that was wrong with you and why you two could never work as a couple. She thought you couldn't be serious," Zell offered, knowing what she was doing. "Squall had that same thought about you as well."

"If I had to place a bet where his talent for war came from... I would place it on you, Laguna. It's a natural gift that can't be simply copied from a SeeD manual. He was fearless through the battle with Ultimecia, and his only concern was for his team, never himself."

It was Rinoa that needed a moment to collect herself now. She could almost see Squall's face in her head; the wind slicing through his hair as he waited for her in the flowers of Centra. She could practically see his eyes pleading with hers, calling to her to reach out for him.

"His eyes always seemed to change colors in the light. Most often they were blue but sometimes, in the right light, they would turn a dark green." That last thought was meant to stay in Rinoa head but passed too easily through her lips.

"Raine's eyes were the very same. When I proposed to her on the hill, it would shift back and forth. You don't forget something like that," Laguna spoke softly lost in memories.

"Laguna," Ellone pleaded.

Laguna looked over to her nearly chastising her, "Why would they lie to us? I knew you were safe with Cid and Edea. I knew Adel's followers would follow me for the rest of my life looking for you, but I just left him!"

Ellone stared back at her uncle displaced and hurt.

"Please take me back Ellone," Rinoa pleaded as she reached out to her. "Please try. You loved him as a brother, and you were his big sister-"

"Sis…" She paused, her mind floating away from them while searching for a fleeting memory. Defeat swiftly came over her face when it disappeared out of her grasps. "Ok. I'll try for Laguna's sake."

Relief came rushing from Rinoa's lungs, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. Zell looked over to her giving her a brief smile of his own.

"How far back do you want to go?" Ellone questioned, trying to hide her disgruntled feelings.

That was the question. When did this all start?

"Cid," Rinoa mind jumped back to the party. "Take me back to Cid at the Celebration ball. He was talking to Squall." It was the last memory she had of him that she would be willing to share publicly with the others.

"Ok," she stated hesitantly as her body suddenly stilled, and the world fell around them into darkness.

"Hey, Rin…?" Rinoa snapped back into the present and realized her sobbing had stopped long ago. She found herself still clinging onto Zell like a frightened child onto its mother. She pushed away feeling embarrassed as a reassuring smile crossed Zell's lips.

"Sorry," she mustered through her reddening cheeks. "Do you remember when she sent us back into Cid's mind at the celebration?"

Zell's face reflected her inner turmoil as he slowly began to nod.

It was like being in time compression again. All the moments fluxed back and forth- from the truth to the altered reality that they were living. One moment, Squall's steel eyes would be staring back at her and then instantly they were replaced by Seifer's vibrant green ones. It was a frightening war of truth and lies; the deception only lasted for a moment until they were kicked back to the sitting room.

Laguna and Ellone sat emotionally drained from the vision they saw, but after a moment of stunned silence, Laguna granted them access to anything they might need to find his lost son. Without his financial and undying support, they would have run out of money by now. SeeD had frozen Zell's assets for abandoning his post. The same occurred with the rest of the group when they all, one by one, left their posts to join in the search. Now they were all on a wanted list, and many searched for them.

"That was the last time I had seen Squall's face until now," Rinoa remarked. "We've been searching for Seifer for a year now. He has just disappeared too. Garden can't find him despite their search efforts. Each report contradicts the other. Just when we think we finally know where he is, he's reported on the other side of the world!"

"Do you still think he has something to do with this?" Zell asked.

"Why would an innocent person run?" she stood firm.

Zell has made his position clear in the past. His theory of Seifer wanting to keep away from them wasn't without merit, but it was just easier to have someone to blame for all of this pain.

"That doesn't mean he had something to do with Squall's disappearance." Zell reminded her quickly, "He must know that we know the truth."

The two of them remained in a stalemate until the trains whistle blew breaking them both of their stubbornness.

"Let's go back to the others. They're waiting," Zell said pulling her arm back to their room.

Despite having a decent size cash reserve from Laguna, no one was particular eager to spend his money. That was the reason all five of them piled on top of each other in one car. Or at least that is what they told themselves. The more likely the reason was after Squall's disappearance they all seemed to fear that anyone of them could be next. Being so close to each other gave a little sense of comfort and control.

Quistis and Selphie had managed to set up their laptops in one small corner of their compartment. Furiously typing away, they were looking for a weak link in Garden's firewall to obtain new information as to where their false idol had last been seen.

Irvine was the first one to acknowledge Zell and Rinoa's entry.

"Hey! I recognize that girl!" Irvine beamed, handing Rinoa her beaten down black leather boots.

"So what do we know?" Rinoa asked, squeezing in next to Irvine as Zell leaned up against the train door.

"Last report was still in that area," Quistis frowned. "Someone reported seeing Seifer in the bar down the road from where you worked. That was nearly three weeks ago."

"I have asked everyone down there. No one could confirm that." Rinoa objected.

"The files from the interviews are locked. New codes I'm afraid. It will take me a few days to unlock them without the right equipment," Quistis muttered looking at the screen.

Irvine interjected, "We could always ask Laguna for more-"

"NO!" the group replied unanimously.

"Just saying it would help us and in term help him," Irvine reminded the group, but the truth was no one felt right about taking more from Laguna without an update in return. However, Rinoa realized their options were running thin.

"So tell us about this man who came to see you," Zell directed, distracting the group before the uncomfortable silence grew anymore.

"He was unremarkable, but I could tell he was focusing on me in a way that others weren't. He always studied me-"

"And for that you thought to stay another three weeks?" Zell mused.

"I had a lot of bills to pay," Rinoa mumbled. She couldn't blow her cover by having access to money as she did now. She had to rough it and keep it low. "Plus you can't deny the coincidence. Seifer popped up right at our bar the same time this guy started to come watch me? Then he had a picture of…"

Zell took over for Rinoa, "He had an image of Squall. Rinoa got a pretty decent look at it the other night."

That caught everyone's attention at once.

"You're right that doesn't seem like chance, but what's our next move?" Selphie asked. "Do we move on or try to chase this guy down?"

The primal urge was to get as far away from that dark hole that was Trabia as possible. However, they had no other clues to follow, and Garden was on their trail. Keeping in one place until that man showed up again wasn't safe. There was only one place that she could think of that had an open door policy to refugees like them. Her eyes went to each of her teammates, and it was clear they were all thinking the same thing.

"We can exchange trains and head south," Quistis suggested, pulling up the train schedule. "Get word to Laguna, so he can secure our passports into the country."

"Rodger boss!" Selphie leaped to her computer more than excited to see Sir. Laguna than Rinoa expected.

Rinoa let out a groan and spilled backward onto her makeshift bed and hoped that tonight the sleep she needed would come. But as she expected, only more dark dreams of his face hiding in shadows waited for her.

ooo000ooo

The lands surrounding them were dry and as vacant as ever. No one would ever imagine a country laid hidden only twenty miles in front of them. Rinoa sat on the edge of the cliff watching the burning sun as it started to drop down into darkness. Below, the long flat land seemed to stretch out for miles. Esthar still refused to join the rest of the world despite it now being known to exist. Special permits were the only way in or out of the city, and one was not easily obtained without Laguna being involved.

The others were erecting tents a little ways behind her. She could hear the soft murmurs of concern for her starting to pop up once more. It seemed as though they were divided on how much longer they could keep going without any breaks in the case. She couldn't be angry with them, not when her mind was plagued with the same questions.

Rinoa stared off into the sunset, wondering what would await them once they entered the forbidden city. Would Quistis suggest they take a break until a new break in came in? Rinoa couldn't stop. Not now. He wouldn't stop searching for her, and she could never give up on him. There was a real possibility that she would have to continue alone.

Rinoa heard Zell approach from behind. Without saying anything to her, he sat himself down, dangling his legs freely over the edge. He looked out, joining her in the false sense of aloneness despite the fact that they were looking at a city holding millions of people.

"Do you ever regret leaving Garden?" Rinoa asked. Her eyes fixated on the setting sun in front of them, but she could sense that Zell had turned to her. Since Squall's disappearance, Zell had been Rinoa's pillar of unwavering support, but it was coming at a steep price she knew she could never pay off.

"No," he replied unusually serious, which garnered a quick glance from Rinoa. "I mean I miss it, don't get me wrong. I hope they will let us back in eventually."

Rinoa pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them for comfort.

"What're you thinking about?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Him," she replied dryly. "I wonder where he is. Is he ok…? Is he…." Her words fell apart as she caught Zell's green eyes watching her nervously.

She looked away again. "When I found him back in the time compression, I thought he was dead. His face was so pale and so cold in my hands… It's been too long, Zell. I'm afraid that even if we do find him, there might not be anything left to bring home. What will I do then? How do I live knowing I couldn't save him?"

"Hey, come on... We can't afford to be thinking like that," Zell pleaded quietly, but he knew their chances of finding Squall alive diminished every passing day.

Rinoa ignored him, "How much time do we have until Laguna gives up on us and caves into Ellone? How much longer can you all dodge Garden?"

"I can only speak for myself Rin, but I'm here for the long haul. I'm not giving up on him. Not until we find him, and we will. Until then, my place is here with you," He said softly.

Rinoa let out a painful sigh, knowing she was dragging someone else down with her. "You can't do this forever, Zell."

"Who says?" he asked seriously.

Rinoa looked out into sunset watching the falling red sun as the fighter beside her started to fidget and then jumped up.

"Camp is almost set up. Don't be too long. We've got hot dogs to roast over the fire. Tonight we feast!" he smiled over his shoulder before heading back towards the group.

The smile she had fell away as she went back to watching the rocky desert landscape. A harsh wind whipped across her blowing her long black hair away from her. Squinting, she could make something out in the distance that hadn't been there before. A glimmer of light as if something had picked up the reflection of the sun. The sight held her attention as she pushed her fingers across her brow to improve her advantage point. What could reflect the light so strongly like that? Whatever it was, it was long and very thin...

A Gunblade.

Why had her mind jumped to that conclusion right away before seeing the person standing on an edge of a cliff was beyond her. Still, before she could even doubt the ludicrous thought, she was on her feet with her voice hitched in her throat. Without a second thought she jumped.

Her boots hit the ground below her hard making her wince as the shock wave ripped through her body. Still, she knew she had to push forward and jumped rock to rock until she was on the same flat surface as the concealed person. In her hasty decision to make a quick descent, her ankle had rolled, and now pain ignited through her leg. Gasping from it, she growled through the pain, pushing it into the back of her mind as she set off at a dead run towards her target.

Rinoa could hear the panic-stricken shouting from behind her. It was Zell's voice that pleaded for her to return and for the others to come help. Not slowing down for anyone, her eyes remained locked onto the mirage flickering in and out in the distant. That build was one she would know from anywhere. It was the man she hunted for over a year now—the one that haunted her dreams.

Hell, it could be that her heart and mind were playing tricks, and maybe this was nothing, but an illusion brought on by exhaustion. But still, she couldn't stop herself. He seemed to be standing there, waiting for her. It seemed as clear as day. Just the image of his blonde hair and white jacket set her heart into a pounding rage.

The pain from her ankle was nothing compared to the swelling heat that left her hand as she hurled a ball of fire magic at the back of the ex-knight. His sixth sense had been triggered and at the last second he towards her and dodged the flaming sphere.

The ex-knight fumbled away from the edge of a bottomless cliff with a bewildered gaze. Hair that was normally well-groomed and chopped short was now much longer and carelessly left to wind's devices. His jaw, covered in long stubble, tightened at the sight of a charging raven-haired sorceress.

"You son of a b-" She started to cuss as Seifer interrupted.

"Seriously, I don't have time for this, GO BACK!"

He dared to walk away from her, but her fist had other ideas.

Landing one punch, she cursed him again.

"You traitorous bastard!" Her next attempt missed its connection as he artfully dodged it. "What the hell did you do to him? Tell me or I swear to Hyne I will let them all kill you where you stand!"

That promise made the ex-knight stop for a moment to scoff. Green jaded eyes turned back to her with equal parts amusement and cynical.

"Funny, I actually believe you on that." Suddenly the ex-knight eyes widen as he looked up to the horizon behind Rinoa.

Rinoa could hear her name urgently being called from her friends in the distance. No doubt they were all running to her aid by now, but she didn't dare turn her back— not even for one minute. Everything in her gut told her if she did, he would disappear again. The blonde ex-knight suddenly looked down into his hand at a device that started to pulse with a strong blue light.

If it were a part of Esthar's growing technology, she hadn't seen it before. It pulsed faster and faster in his dirt-laced hand making the concerns on his face grow. Seifer looked once more to the edge of the cliff.

"Just tell me where Squall is!" Rinoa demanded through gritted teeth, disturbed at the lack of acknowledgment she was receiving from him. Her powers were tossing and turning within her to be unleashed. Hyne, she wanted to use them but had to hold back knowing he was her only hope. If she ever wanted to see Squall again, she had to get this right and make this heartless monster answer her.

A smile grew on Seifer's face as he looked up at her through thick lashes. His stare was menacing.

"Listen closely Rinoa. If you gave two shits about him like you say you do, you would go back to your friends and forget that you ever saw me."

She stared him down reading herself for a fight. "I won't let you go."

"You have to," he retorted before letting a wicked smile spread across his face. "By the way, you should've kept the red hair. It was hot."

Throwing her off just enough, Seifer took off at a reckless speed with his gun blade dragging on the ground. Rinoa looked up to see the edge of the cliff before him, and his intentions were clear.

He was jumping to his death.

"Seifer!" she screamed as she bolted after him, completely disregarding the pleading calls of her loved ones behind her.

She lunged out after him without a second though. Her fingers speared the air hoping to get a hold of his gray leather jacket, but they came up empty as his heavy body suddenly went weightless.

He fell effortless forward over the cliff with his arms spread out wide. Stunned, Rinoa tried everything in her powers to stop in time, but she had banked too heavily on him hesitating and not actually following through. She too was going too fast to stop in time. Her heart failed as she felt the moment her body was sent weightless over the edge. The only thing she could see now was the perfect view of the ex-knight hurtling faster and faster towards the rocky depth below.

She needed to call up a GF. Something that could stop them in time, but she had no junction. And there was no knowing if she could junction one and summon in time. She rifled through all her options trying to find Quetzalcoatl, but a blinding light halted her frantic search as it engulfed them. She never felt her body hit the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exciting or boring? Take a second and let me know!


	4. Chapter 4: Rude Awakening

Beta: HeartlessTitania

ooo000ooo

Chapter 4: Rude Awakening

ooo000ooo

It felt like she had been underwater for some time. Lost somewhere in the deep crevices of her mind and buried under the heavy weight of the darkness pressing the life out of her chest. Then abruptly, it all lifted.

Rinoa's lungs filled with air so violently that it ravaged her body on its way through, burning with such fire that it made her shake and cough vigorously. Her eyes bolted open to drink in the soft white ray of lights that filtered through the tree branches over her. The little rays poured around her so stunning at that moment she questioned whether this light was the kind one was supposed to walk towards.

"If you're going to throw up do it in the bushes."

That voice… she knew it well, but her mind felt as if it had fractured into a million pieces and hastily put together- and seemingly not into all the correct places either. She only had a moment to dwell on that before the familiar voice's words became meaningful.

All she could do was raise herself up on one arm and lean away before losing the contents of her stomach repeatedly. Each outburst was more painful than the last.

"Hey! I said the bushes- Damn it, Rinoa!"

She couldn't worry about the words shouted at her, or the splitting headache slicing her mind into two. Not when her internal organs seemed to want priority in exiting from her body.

"The worst is over, but the screaming headache will be here to stay," the voice offered.

She panted and waited for the next bout of retching to begin and was pleasantly surprised nothing further came up. She finally allowed herself a tentative swallow, before deeming it was safe to wipe her mouth clean.

She looked to the side, and her last clear memory returned. Esthar. The cliff. A gunblade in the distance. Zell is running towards her with fear in his eyes and herself falling over the edge. Her eyes went to the man who made this happen, and she could feel the rage burning out of control again.

"You're not in any shape to try to kill me, so don't bother," Seifer deadpanned a few feet away. His tall form was leaned up against a large sprawling tree, most notably with his head against it for support. It was clear that whatever affliction Rinoa was suffering from had him within its grip as well.

Rinoa tried to keep her focus on the ex-knight instead of falling prey to the sleep that wanted to claim her. In the last moments of what she could remember, she had not been as careful as she should have been when studying her enemy. Only now did she notice how dirty he was. Head to toe, a thin layer of grime covered his overly tanned skin. It was a further testament that he hadn't taken the time to shave, cut, or wash himself in a very long time. She could see the trail of sweat running down his chest to the soaked shirt he wore.

Why was he so sweaty?

That was when she looked down and saw she had been laying on his old ratty gray trench coat. Not only that but she too was covered in sweat as if she had been sitting out in the elements for hours. She tried to think clearly as to where she was, but Seifer had not been joking when he said she was in no fighting condition. Not only had her mind been splintered into a million pieces, but also her body. Her arms were covered in dirt, and large bruises were now growing visible on them. It was too much to do a full body scan of injuries right now. She was alive, and that's what counted the most.

"What the hell happened?" she tried to look around but nothing resembled the barren rocky terrain of Esthar. It was lush, full of trees, and not to mention it hadn't been this humid. None of this made sense. "Where am I?"

"Islands Closest to Heaven," Seifer replied, keeping his eyes closed.

Islands Closest to Heaven? Instantly, her body wanted to react to their dangerous surrounding but she could hardly move an inch, let alone cast any magic. How could they be sitting so nonchalantly in one of the most threatening parts of the world?

"Keep it down," he reprimanded while all of her attempts at movement failed. "There's no monsters here anymore."

Her eyes traced the ragged ex-knight for meaning.

"This is the Island closest to Heaven!" she rebuked. "Of course there is!"

Jade eyes finally opened, and he targeted her with his intense stare. "As I said, there's nothing here anymore. So shut up for a while, because it's only going to get worse before it gets better. You'll need to save your strength."

She wanted to argue, but the pounding in her head was starting to make it impossible. What had happened to her? She had so many questions, but she was pretty much seeing double now. Her body begged her to sleep it off and stop resisting its needs.

She wiped the sweat away from her forehead and tried her best to pull her damp hair away from her skin. It was an effort to find relief from the heat that made her migraine only that much worse.

A chime suddenly rang out, destroying the silence. Rinoa pulled her head up from her arms to see an odd-looking device lying between them. A flash of memory triggered. Their confrontation…. that device had been there. Then it had glowed blue, but that was long gone and now and urgent red light beckoned their attention. She watched as its flashing intervals became shorter and shorter. Its sound increased in tone making the hair on her arms stand on end. It finally dawned on her what this device was.

"A tracking device," she said trying to stand, but fell back to her knees when the world went sideways. Rinoa knew it was useless to attempt to stand on her own. The shooting pain in her ankle left her worthless.

Looking up through her raven hair, she saw the blonde man rise to answer the devices call.

"What the hell have you done, Seifer?" She growled in contempt.

A grin released from his pained face. He turned away for a second as a laugh left him. It made him wince in pain, but he still couldn't control the amusement her question brought to him.

"What have I started?" Seifer mocked her question as he gained control of himself once more. "That's rich. Wish we had time to circle that thought, but they'll be here any minute. I'm not missing my ride."

He picked up the gunblade leaning against the tree before looking down at her. "Get up."

She looked up at him in defiance.

"Who's coming? Who do you work for now, Seifer?" Rinoa demanded as the pain made her tremble slightly.

His smile twitched a bit as he shifted his stance to be over her.

"No time for that, darling. Might be no monsters here anymore, but that's not to say you won't die from the elements. We miss this ride, trust me, they won't be back for a second chance. Get up."

"I can't," she begrudgingly admitted. Her strength was gone, and the pain in her ankle made her cave under her weight.

Embarrassed she looked away from him knowing that the damage she sustained while jumping now made her at his mercy. Without the adrenaline and endorphins deadening the pain, it was clear that it was going to require some medical attention before it would get better, "My ankle is hurt."

"You're kidding me, right? You try to hurl a fireball at my head, and you think I'm going to carry you?" he spoke through gritted teeth before running his fingers through his greasy hair.

"I intend to do a lot more to you than that later," she spit towards him.

He cracked a smile and looked away trying to keep the laughter from spilling out of him. "I hear that a lot. Normal it has very different connotations."

Rinoa scowled at him as he bent over and pulled her arm over his shoulder.

"In your situation, threats would be stupid," he clarified as he looked at her; their eyes were almost level with each other. "Don't tempt me into leaving your ass behind, because you're more trouble than your worth."

She took a hesitant step and crumpled from the pain. Her weight nearly pitched them both forward.

"Agh!" She hissed as she bit her lip. She hoisted her head up towards the sky when suddenly something huge passed overhead. Hot air and leaves blew over them.

"An Airship." Rinoa's eyes grew as the leaves scattered around them.

"Come on!" Seifer hoisted her against her will once more and pushed her to run.

With his arm around her, he forced her body to his and started to sprint in the direction the airship was heading.

"Faster!" Seifer pressed her through a thrush of foliage, trying his best to go around any uprooted roots that could trip them.

"I can't!" she screamed in anguish. "It hurts!"

"More running and less bitching!" Seifer ordered with uneven breaths, taking even more of her weight onto himself. The two of them nearly stumbled over a hidden foxhole, making Seifer bite down on his lip as he readjusted her on his shoulder.

"Give me a potion!" Rinoa demanded as they cut through the trees; chasing the sound that was getting further and further away.

"Can't!" He barked, "Used the last one on myself!"

Rinoa glared at him as they reached a meadow clearing that went out a good half mile before dropping off into a rocky bay where the ocean crashed wildly.

Rinoa's hair was being savagely whipped around by the airship's engine. The sound was deafening, but when she searched for the source of all this chaos, it yielded nothing.

"Where's the ship?" Rinoa asked frantically. Had they missed this 'only opportunity' for a ride?

"Wait for it!" Seifer shouted at her, his eyes focused in front of them.

"Wait for wh-?" she shouted back when out of the sky a flashing bright light abruptly exposed a long gray steel haul of a ship with three brilliant white sails. Rinoa couldn't contain her amazement as the white sails sprung out to slow the craft down.

"Is that the White SeeD ship?" Rinoa cried out confused while the ship banked towards them before lowering itself down onto the meadow.

She had to shake herself to gather her wits. What was she thinking? Of course, this wasn't the White SeeD ship. The white SeeD ship was a much smaller vessel compared to the behemoth landing in front of them. This vessel was three times larger than the ship she came to know and far more Unitarian in design. There was no decorative scrawling on its haul, and it was clear this was built for speed and camouflage.

How was this possible? She knew nothing to exist quite like this. While she had been gone from Garden for a year, was that enough time for them to design and build such a remarkable piece of transportation?

A loud mechanical groan came from the side of the haul as it opened allowing them safe passage to the ship. But already the ship's engines were reversing for takeoff.

Seifer re-hoisted her arm over his shoulder, forcing her to run towards the mammoth ship that was trying to take off without them.

"Come on!" He bellowed at her.

"Who are they?" There was nothing she could do to stop their mad dash towards the ship's opening despite her second thoughts on following him. Perhaps staying behind on the desolated island had much more life-promoting options then the den of the unknown with a serial madman.

Seifer refused to acknowledge even her question and hoisted her up onto the ship that was already starting to lift away. She rolled across the metal floor as Seifer lifted himself up and hit the control panel forcing the haul's door to close behind them.

Rinoa remained on her side wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into. However the steel and air conditioning on her skin was almost bliss compared to the oven they had just come from. For a few minutes more she would be content just to lie there and try to regain her breath.

That was cut short with the sound of doors opening behind her. An army of footsteps trailed in imparting with her that she was far from safe. Begrudging, Rinoa lifted herself off the floor just enough to look up at a small team of White SeeDs, in their traditional cream-colored coats, line the area. All eyes were trained on their new guests, as they stood at attention with their weapons highly visible.

It now confirmed that this was indeed a SeeD ship. Her heart dropped suddenly knowing there would be million questions regarding her AWOL counterparts back in Esthar. Then again she had a million questions of her own that she wanted answered. The first one would be how did she end up on the island closest to heaven when her last memory was jumping off a cliff on Esthar?

Looking over to Seifer, he stood there unsurprised by the SeeDs surrounding them. Rinoa took a breath, acknowledging she had been right all along. Seifer was behind this. They all still think he is the golden child who saved the world, and she fell right into a plan of his.

The door opened once more, as two more SeeDs briskly walked in and down a flight of metal stairs to the freight hold where they waited. Rinoa looked up just in time to see one of them stop short. The black polished boots hesitated for a moment, before turning to leave in a hurry. Unlike the others, this soldier didn't wear the standard issue black pants but instead had opted for a cream-colored military style slacks. Her eyes quickly trailed up the heavily decorated jacket, so weighted by honors that it seemed to slow the officer down enough to get a glimpse of his face.

"No," she gasped out, making the figure stop cold in his tracks.

The room fell into an eerie silence.

Not only was her body entirely exhausted but also now she had to question her mind's integrity. It was being too cruel and playing mind games with her fragile state. It was the only explanation because otherwise nothing else made sense. Looking at the man dressed in cream, a wave of unreality washed over her.

"I don't believe this," Rinoa whispered to herself as she tried to stand, but her body failed forcing her back to her knees.

The sound of her in pain made the man look over his shoulder long enough for her to get a second look.

His lips had parted slightly as if they wanted to speak. Nothing came out, but they were just as she remembered them. No amount of time could erase her memory of how soft they were against hers. The handsome angles of his cheekbones cut straight back to a strong jawline. It all made him look untouchable and fearless.

However, it was when she looked into the endless sea of smoky blue eyes did she realize what she was seeing was real. The way they held hers was just as captivating as the first time.

As the silence grew, they turned to show the same bewilderment as she felt.

"Squall?" her voice was so soft and layered in disbelief that she wasn't even sure he heard her right away.

He didn't move, and in fact, he was still as if someone had casted a petrify spell on to him. How long had it been since she last saw his face in person? Nearly a year? And yet, something seemed to have changed since then— but it didn't matter. Not when he was so close to her now. Only steps away instead of the unknown distance that it had been before.

Trembling, Rinoa pushed the pain and exhaustion aside to make it onto her feet. It was clumsy at first, but she was able to stand on her own and take a few steps towards him before lightning struck her ankle again. The bites of the pain made her cry out and stumble forward. It was a shock when she didn't meet the solid ground beneath her but instead, collided with him, into arms that still reached out for her. It was all the proof she needed.

He was alive. He was still alive.

She could feel him, hear the resound pounding in his chest, and smell the sea of Balamb on him. This was real, and not some dream she would soon wake up from. Her arms gripped him tighter, pulling him in even closer than he was. Hyne would have to strike her down before she would be willing to let go of him again.

"Gods it is you," she let out, a small sob came as her head found its familiar resting spot on his chest. That same chest suddenly drew in air from the shock. "Hyne, Squall it's really you."

She wanted to break down and just let go of all the pain that she had been shouldering for the last year. Yet, some part of her was gnawing at her to wake up. Because of that she couldn't find the strength to let it all go. She wanted- no needed- more answers. Had he been here the whole time? How could she have not known that he was safe? More importantly, why the hell was everyone standing around when the traitor Seifer was standing right behind her?

"We've been searching for you for a year," she cried, feeling the anger that was hiding underneath the relief. "How could you not send word to us that you've been here the whole time? We all thought you were dea-"

When she pulled away and looked up into his eyes for answers, her words had cut off into silence. It was only then she realized that the arms on her were there only as a reflex, and not holding her back like the way they once did. Instead, his body held rigid, cold, and frightened of her touch.

It was then that the world suddenly snapped back into crystal clear focus, and her mind no longer seemed muddled by memories. She hobbled half a step back and looked at the face that regarded her so emotionlessly.

Everything about him was so familiar, but on closer examination she grasped that this was not exactly the same man she had come to know in the fight for their lives. His resilient jaw was stronger, and more pronounce due in part to the stubble edging and rough skin that framed it. Any soft lines from youthfulness were gone, and his hair was much longer with hints of silver beginning to streak through. The hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, but the strands that had freed itself from his control hung in front of stormy eyes. Those eyes are what harbored the most change.

They held fear…

That was an emotion she wasn't used to seeing from him. His body was no longer of a teenage boy either. It was built broader, stronger, fully matured into the height of its physical peak. She wasn't staring at the Squall Leonhart she knew, but at the man he would become.

Finally, the man looked away from her. His eyes found it's new focus as they blazed with a fury she had seen many times on the battlefield. His target was the ex-knight trying to blend into the background of other SeeDs.

"What the hell did you do?" the lion growled dropping his arms from Rinoa.

Rinoa gasped from the sudden pain but was relieved when the woman who had been standing next to him caught her before she made her way back onto the floor.

"I told you she was following me," Seifer accepted the challenge with amusement, unafraid of the beast stalking towards him. "She was catching on, and yet you still sent me back."

Squall slammed the ex-knight into the haul of the ship with one shove. "I told you to keep a low profile and to stay away from her! And you bring her back with you?"

The sudden aggression made Rinoa flinch as the woman helping her lifted Rinoa's arm over her should to better balance her.

"It's too late Leader," the woman next to her warned Squall, who still bore his eyes into Seifer's.

"I told you it was too risky to pull me back now. Don't fail me for your blunder," Seifer antagonized him with a vexing smile.

"So you pulled her back with you?" he slammed Seifer once more, making his head hit the metal haul forcing the ex-knight to cringe.

"Do that again and your dead old man," Seifer warned growing dangerously tired of these games. "She followed me off a damn cliff. It was either letting her come through with me or letting her go splat on the rocks. Not sure which one you'd rather have, but I thought the point was keeping her alive."

Squall suddenly threw his arm across Seifer's throat pinning him tighter to the haul.

"This is my LIFE you're messing with!" Squall snarled into Seifer's face with a raw intensity she didn't know he was capable of.

Without warning, a siren went off in the haul cutting further threats short. The white SeeDs who stood by looked at each other before running to their stations with alarm.

"What the hell is going on?" Rinoa asked but before anyone could find the time to reply, the ship pitched sharply to its side, nearly throwing them all off their feet.

The sound that followed could only be explained by a direct hit that ricochet off the ship's shields.

"We're being attacked," the woman shouted, pulling Rinoa towards the open door and away from where Squall and Seifer continued to have their showdown.

"That's not exactly what I was asking," Rinoa groaned as the woman helped her up a flight of metal stairs and through a door to what looked like a control room.

Rinoa scanned the large panels that flashed with so much data she couldn't decipher what was happening. White SeeDs quickly manipulated boxes to bring up an image from behind the ship, and it was clear they were no longer alone.

"Shit," the woman holding Rinoa up muttered seeing four large black armored airships lined the horizon. They were far from anything Rinoa had ever seen before. The specialty design was even more advanced than Esthars', which only made one thing clear.

Her jaw slacked slightly as her eyes rushed to Seifer, who smirked with understanding.

This wasn't her time.

"Took you long enough," he smirked.

"Squall we got three chasing our coat tails!" the woman helped Rinoa find a seat in the spacious cockpit, but then swiftly left her side to go to Squall, who watched the oversized screen.

"Can we outrun them?" Squall's voice seemed to be slightly deeper or maybe it had a slight gravel to it that wasn't there before. Still, it held that authoritative control she was used to. After a year of wishing she could hear him once more, she wish it was under different circumstances.

Or at least not under the obvious pretense that he wasn't happy to see her.

The pilot responded shaking his head, "We need more power to do that."

"Make it happen," Squall commanded, leaning over the SeeD's shoulder to read the scans. "Reroute the power from here and take whatever we can do without offline." His finger traced the graph and the young SeeD quickly followed his order.

Just then, the room violently shook as an explosion rang through the halls causing the lights to flicker and go out. Slowly blue emergency lights flutter on one by one.

"Sir, they hit our shield generator," the pilot announced after assessing a few graphs.

"Shit were screwed." Seifer feigned fear before sitting in a large leather seat next to Rinoa. Rinoa eyed Seifer, baffled at the apathy he displayed to the precarious situation.

"Seifer I'm three seconds from asking permission to throw you overboard," the woman declared as started worked furiously on her screen.

"And I'll grant it," Squall muttered with resentment.

"She's my favorite." Seifer laughed next to Rinoa, pointing to the woman working on the panel next to Squall. "She's the kind of girl who will slash your throat and ask questions later. From what I've gathered, she's someone else's favorite too."

It was hard to not to take a second look after such a crude comment, even if there was no validity to it. The woman, who may have been the kindest person she had met in a while, wore the tradition cream-colored jacket belonging to all white SeeDs. Black hair longer than her own was pulled back tightly into a ponytail and furthered secured with a white headband.

Instantly Rinoa wished she hadn't taken that additional scan because her insecurity jump to an all-time high. She was a tall, slender thing; with a deep olive skin that was only accentuated by the white cloak she wore. Thickly framed lashes surrounded dark almond eyes that studied her instrument panel before leaning back over to Squall to speak quietly.

If one were to go by superficial looks, the woman next to Squall would fit in more appropriately in a Girl Next Door magazine than a battlefield with her curves.

If Seifer was doing this just to get in her head, it was sadly working.

Rinoa gripped the leather armrest as another sonic boom rocked the airship. Growing closer to the striking beauty Squall hovered over her while reading her scans.

"The shields are failing," the Pilot shouted as a series of ominous beeps started to ring out from his dashboard.

"Drop them," Squall ordered, staring at the oncoming airships that were gaining more ground.

"What?" The woman asked, turning to him. "Are you sure? One hit and it's over—"

"We can't out gun them, but we can out run them if we can gather more power. We don't have a dog in this fight otherwise. Cyrus, you think you can pull an emergency maneuver?"

Rinoa watched the man she presumed to be Cyrus look at his controls. It was apparent that his nerves were getting to him now. "If that's our last resort, I'll try but I'd rather not have too."

The woman's deep brown eyes searched Squalls before taking in a long breath. Looking away, she knew she had no choice but to do as her leader commanded.

"Time to grow a pair, Cyrus. Take us under!" the woman shouted, abandoning her screen to take one of the unoccupied chairs next to Rinoa. "You're going to want to buckle up. This is not going to be a smooth ride."

"Hey, where's my concern?" Seifer asked, pretending to be offended.

"I'd cut your harness if I were close enough," She said, slipping into her harness before showing Rinoa how to strap in herself.

Squall took the seat next to the pilot and proceeded to do the same. "Sound the alarm. Code Blue, emergency maneuver activated."

A siren over the intercom went off immediately.

Code blue, emergency code blue. Maneuver is commencing in two minutes.

"Can we hold them off for two minutes?" Rinoa turned towards Squall, who only slightly turned towards her direction before opting to ignore her.

"We're going to have too," the woman responded, typing on a new screen that seemed to appear from nowhere. "Lani Sarvis by the way."

"Rinoa-"

"Heartilly. Yes, we all know you," Lani acknowledged, not moving her eyes from the screen that focused on their power supplies.

"That's all we have?" Rinoa asked in concern, watching the flashing bars of red.

"Yeah, and we are going to need every last bit of it!" Lani shouted over another shutter of one of the engines being hit.

"Can we do this?" Squall's eyes were glued to the main screen of the high-speed chase unfolding.

"I'd never make a promise I can't keep Sir!" the pilot yelled as he pulled the ship into a hard left, throwing everyone to the side.

One minute remaining.

Rinoa's eyes went to Seifer, who was void of any emotion. That alone was enough to stir the panic within her. As if sensing it, Seifer turned her way with an unscrupulous look.

"You followed me here, darling. You've only got yourself to blame." Seifer's voice was hardly audible from the one-minute countdown.

"Drop shields," Squall shouted his commanded. "Cyrus, You better be able to fly this damn thing!"

"No pressure," the pilot said through gritted teeth and pulled them to another hard left.

"Dropping protective shields and rerouting the power to the engines," Lani called out. Then the force of speed passed through them, slamming them into the seats behind them. Rinoa was only thankful that she had emptied the contents of her stomach earlier because her mind still hadn't fully recover from the effects of whatever happened in Esthar.

Thirty seconds remaining.

"Thirty seconds remaining? Until what?" Rinoa was scared to ask.

"Until we go under," Lani explained, her face was starting to show stress.

"Under? Under-" There was nothing below except… "The ocean?" Rinoa's eyes fluttered to Seifer, who seemed unsure about this plan. "Can this ship do that?"

"Designed to," Cyrus, the pilot, called out. "Still technically a theory and not tested."

"Hear that Rinoa. We're test subjects," Seifer called out with a smile to go with his joke. "I told you to go back with your friends."

"Is it too late to push him out the back door?" Rinoa questioned, which made Lani smile.

"Ms. Heartilly, a joker. Who would have thought?"

"Stop Sarvis," Squall commanded finally looked backward but only to Lani, purposefully avoiding Rinoa's eyes.

"Leader." Lani hastily snapped back respectfully.

Twenty Seconds till Emergency Maneuver: Code Blue.

"Raise the stealth shield," Squall commanded. "Brace for impact."

The room fell silent as the automated voice slowly started to count backward. Each number seemed to slow down time drastically. The only sound Rinoa could hear was the sound of her own breath matching the rate of her racing heart. No one else around her moved as they watch the ships behind them grew closer. All of the white SeeDs stared down grimly at their screens as the vessel they traveled in begun to tremble around them.

Rinoa looked to Squall, but his eyes never moved away from his screen. His only action was to tighten his grip on the leather arm of his chair, and brace as the numbers went down to its final call.

10

All she wanted was for him to look at her…

9

To see his icy blue eyes just once more, in case they wouldn't make...

8

When his eyes failed to consider her, she faced forward with frightening new thoughts.

7

Who was this? A different Squall? A different man? From a different time?

6

With a jaw tightening in anger, she realized she could no longer ignore the set of eyes burning into the side of her face.

5

Rinoa shot Seifer a dirty look as a sea of green watched her. His hand calmly extended out for hers.

4

"Aren't you scared?" Her voice betrayed how frightened she was.

3

Seifer turned away only long enough to mull over her question, before giving a small shrug.

2

"It doesn't change much for me either way," he replied in the silence before the final number was spoken.

1

Preforming Emergency Maneuv-

If the automated voice had finished her sentence, Rinoa did not know because the world around her broke out into chaos. Her mind had filled with so many different alarms that it drowned out every scream and panic shouting around her. Her world spun out of control as she slammed forward against her harness like a rag doll before pitching her into complete darkness.

"We've been hit!" someone called out from the darkness.

The smell of smoke came before the Cyrus's voice. "Engine three has caught fire!"

"DIVE!"

Rinoa found Seifer's hand just in time for the sharp dive that seemed to last forever. She felt his hand squeeze hers tightly as they made impact with the water.

Was this her last moment? The pain of their collision reverberated through her body.

Would she die only a few feet away from the only one she wanted her last seconds with? She lowered her head and closed her eyes as a painful frown forced its way onto her face. Instead, her last moment would be squeezing the hand of her most hated enemy. Fate had a sense of Irony.

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"Rinoa!"

Her named shot around in her head like a Ping-Pong ball. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment, but she couldn't seem to fight the darkness that held her.

"Heartilly!" The voice... It was the wrong voice!

Her eyes opened and danced chaotically through the images before her, trying to organize what she was seeing. She felt cold hands holding her face on either side to prop her head up securely.

"Dammit, keep your eyes open!"

"Seifer?" she ventured a hazardous guess, opening her eyes to see his face inches away from hers. His skin looked unearthly pale, but it could have been from the blue light that illuminated the darkened cabin.

She felt his hands drop from her face, but he remained kneeling by her as people around them started to move about. She desperately wanted to undo the harness that held her so painfully tight, but her mind didn't seem to control her body.

"We survived?" she asked, but then realized her feet were cold and in four inches of water. That hissing sound was most likely the source of it too. She looked up seeing Lani close by.

"We've got enough power to get us three miles, but then the engines will die."

"That should be in friendly territory," Squall nodded.

Friendly territory, those words hung in her mind. That meant they had been in enemy territory. Was this the enemy that had taken everything away from her? She forced her hands towards the belts and struggled to free herself.

Seifer looked over to her and moved to help her.

"Don't touch me!" Rinoa shouted, silencing the room.

Seifer's eyes, which in the light seemed black like coal, studied her unsympathetically before moving away. She grasped the buckles finally getting the release mechanism to unlock and peeled out of it to face the room. Everyone watched her with grim expressions.

No one moved, not even Seifer.

"Where am I?" she asked her voice was unsteady as she struggled against the cold.

Silence only greeted her as everyone watched her on full guard. She could tell the SeeDs were calculating her next move and made risk assessments in their head as if she may turn into a threat.

"Ok, when am I?" she clarified her question.

"Squall-" Lani moved a step towards him.

"NO." He warned her. His eyes flashed a command that apparently no one would challenge.

"No?" Rinoa balked at him. "I've searched for over a year for you!"

His face remained neutral as those paralyzing eyes finally went to hers.

"Everyone has forgotten your name, Squall. One day you were next to me, and by the next morning our entire world had changed. You were erased from history— completely! Zell, Quistis, Selphie and Irvine left SeeD. They left everything they knew just to find you. We've given a year of our lives just to hunt any trace that could've brought you back to us, and now you won't even look at me? I'm right here damn it, acknowledge me!"

He was the god of stone, unmoving and unrelenting.

Rinoa took a second to pull herself together as all the SeeDs seemed to regard her pathetically. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"You're not the same person I am looking for," she yielded. "I know I'm not in my time. I don't know how Seifer is involved in this, but you have more allies that are willing to help you. Explain to me what happened. Who the hell is attacking us and why are they attacking you?"

It was then he suddenly moved towards her, but she refused to lose her ground now. She would get her answers. No was not an option. Squall was still in danger in her time, and it has to be because of whatever is happening in this future. The ageless man bore his steel eyes into hers.

"We will surface and you will go back to your time. That's the way it has to be."

She let out a frustrated laugh and shook her head. "You should know me better than that, Leonhart. I won't accept that."

"No one is asking you too," he clarified.

"I think you're going to find it pretty damn hard to get rid of a sorceress when she doesn't want to leave," she inserted self-assured. "Now who the hell is targeting us? Why are they trying to take you away from me?"

"They don't want you to know because your presence is creating a paradox. Two people at the same time, what a problem…"

Squall turned to Seifer. "I swear to Hyne I will kill you myself if you utter another word."

"He's full of shit," Seifer turned to Rinoa, bored. "That too would lead to a paradox. He needs my help, but he needs me to survive and return to my time at the end of it."

This was becoming harder to follow on more levels then one for Rinoa, "And your help wouldn't cause a paradox?"

Then his words came back to her. The moment he offered his hand and she asked if he was afraid.

"Oh, look. She's figuring it out on her own," Seifer taunted.

"You said it wouldn't change anything for you..." She looked up at him horrified. "A-and if you being here wouldn't create a paradox then that means…"

"I'm already dead in this time," Seifer finished unceremoniously. "In fact, from what I understand, it only took garden a few days to find my posse and me. I was told they made a huge ordeal of it. There was a televised trial, but with no one backing me it didn't take long for them to find me guilty and execute me live on television. I never asked for the details. I like some surprises."

"Seifer, you have to stop." Squall beseeched him urgently.

"It's already too late," Seifer spoke emptily. "She's here and, therefore, a paradox has already begun, albeit a small one. It's damn well time we realize there's no chance for us to restore the balance without her."

"Damn it, Seifer, we WILL find a way without her-!" Squall had resounded before the ex-knight turned his ire onto him.

"We WILL DIE! Tell me WHO is going to suffer because we did?"

That was when she saw the shift happen. Something she had never seen Squall do until that moment. He took a small step back with his fist curled up into a ball. His face rigid with anger but he submitted. Rinoa watched as the man her love would become took another small step back.

Rinoa looked down suddenly. Something in the future was changing the past, and Squall brought Seifer back to fix it. Seifer was going to die, and none of them had stopped that from happening. Then again, not more than a few hours ago she would've been more than happy to end his life by her own means. Why should she be surprised?

"It's been twenty-two years since Ultimecia fell— that makes him ancient, by the way," Seifer pointed to Squall who shot him a poisonous look. "And we will be facing more danger than you ever met while fighting Matron, Adel or Ultimecia. Do you think you can handle this?" Seifer challenged.

"This isn't something we can ask her to do," Squall rebutted as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Rinoa took one last look at Squall, but he negated to see anyone.

"I'd do anything to bring back Squall," Rinoa turned back to Seifer. "Just tell me who I have to kill."

"Ah good," Seifer smiled relieved. "That makes this a hell of a lot easier because we're fighting you, and we're on the losing side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold it right there! Don't forget to review this chapter! Otherwise you will make the writer cry!


	5. Chapter 5: Ghost of the Past

Beta: HeartlessTitania

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Chapter 5: Ghost of the Past

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Mercy was for the weak, and the weak have no business standing amongst greatness.

There was some point when Rinoa had fallen back against the metal dashboard for support in the submerged Airship. She couldn't recall when that had happened, or when the few SeeDs that had been in the control room started to leave. It seemed like an eternity that she stood there looking at the ex-knight in disbelief while internally; she felt her heart harden in her chest from his revelation.

Mercy was for the weak, and the weak have no business standing amongst greatness.

Seifer had said that once to her long ago. During the last summer of her innocence, back when she still felt human and thought anything was still possible.

That was back when she still thought every story came with a happy ending.

To Seifer, asking him to hold back in order to spare your feelings made you weak, and he had no patience for it. He warned her of that long ago when she still longed for some future between the two of them. He never spared her feelings then, so why would he start now? But she did want him to lie. She wanted that so desperately. Maybe she was weak, but this idea, this possibility…

How?

How could she hurt the only people she ever wanted to protect?

Her eyes went to the man that held all the answers. Looking at Leonhart now was like suddenly jumping to the end of the book she was reading. It was cheating to find out how he would grow, how he would age, and how much he would change.

He was still utterly breathtaking, though. Even the slightly hardened look on his face suited him despite the context that had brought it there. The mature lines at the corner of his eyes did nothing but enhance his beauty, finally casting away the slightly feminine quality he once had. The broadness of his shoulders, the unshaven jawline, and the hands that were aged from hard labor was a far cry from the man of her time.

Still, how much could this stranger resemble the man she loved when he refused to even look at her?

"You want to play this game?" Leonhart looked at the blonde ex-knight. The rest of his threat was issued without words, but the meaning was clear to all those around.

Yet, looking at him she could still see him, Squall. He was still there, living…breathing. Even if he was only the remnants of the man he once was, those lips were the same lips that held her captive with one unexpected smile. Those arms were the same ones that had held her safe when nothing around them was.

Without so much as a look in her direction, Leonhart turned away from the ex-knight, leaving the two time travelers alone in the flooding room.

The room was silent except for the hiss of water that continued to leak in from their rapid dive. The ex-knight just stood opposite of her watching her for a while as if trying to catch her attention. Rinoa couldn't seem to find the strength to look him in the eyes at this point. A mixture of anger and guilt seemed to hold her back from breaking the unbearable stalemate.

"Having second thoughts?" Seifer questioned as he tilted his head to the side, placing bets internally on how she would answer him.

She had to swallow her pride to answer that.

"On following you over that cliff? Yes," she agreed. Her cheeky answer lacked heart though.

He let out a short laugh and leaned against the opposite control dash, allowing his head to fall downwards and surrendered to the peace around them. She was going to be damned if she would let him enjoy anything at this moment when she was going through hell.

"I'm behind all of this? Squall disappearing?" she questioned, disturbing the perfect silence.

"Bet you had a lot of money riding on that I had something to do with it," he mocked her without looking up. It was enough to raise all the anger in her at once.

"You're still a traitor to all of us!" she growled fiercely.

His eyes danced with amusement at her outburst, "Yeah, and apparently you will become one too. How the mighty fall hard. I bet by now I'm nothing but a mere footnote in the history books, but you, you they will be talking about for Centuries."

"Stop it... It's impossible," she whispered, trying to convince herself more importantly. "He's my knight. A bond like that is too strong for something like this to happen."

"Really, Rinoa?" He laughed so loud it startled her. It was the kind of laugh that made one wonder how sane the ex-knight was after being under a Sorceress's influence for so long. "You think whatever you two had was so special that nothing could rip you apart? Are you stupid enough to believe that you're not capable of being hurt and vengeful?"

Their eyes were locked in a showdown, a test of wills, and one she refused to be on the losing end of. After a moment he simply laughed, running his hand through his hair in frustration, "You're a bigger idiot than I thought."

Did she keep her eyes on her mark, "So you know everything then? Tell me what happened."

"I know enough of what happened to know that what you two had couldn't withstand the pressure. The future for you two was as bleak and as dark as my life was under Ultimecia."

"You're comparing this to what happened with Ultimecia?" She could feel the pain in her chest beginning to intensify. "I'm nothing like her!"

"Wishful thinking, Heartilly," he mocked again.

"It's not me," she defended. "I know I could never do such a thing in my right frame of mind."

"Hmm," Seifer looked at her. It was clear that her misery was part of his amusement. "Maybe some part of your mind was a ticking time bomb from the start because of the powers you inherited. It might've driven you to the edge, but there's no doubt in my head that you took the plunge willingly. In the end, you just could not forgive him, and it made you no better than Ultimecia. It's time you realize you're not so different from myself, Rinoa."

"Forgive what?" she asked, the fear now infiltrating her voice. Maybe she didn't want to know the answer, but the question was already out there too fast to think of what the repercussions would be. A part of her was thankful when Seifer chose to bite down in order to keep from saying anymore.

She held the jade eyes that seemed to take great interest in her, "No one wants to tell me anything. Even you would side with your largest rival to keep it all secret from me." "You've defiantly grown up in the past year," Seifer said quietly.

"You've changed too, Seifer." Though, in ways, she wasn't sure she fully understood. The last time she had seen him he was a muddled mess of confusion, living a dying dream that he would sooner die for then let fail. Now, he stood their quietly. An arrogant form, waiting for the right moment, but what was he waiting for? She still couldn't find it in herself to trust him so easily.

"Tell me, Seifer, why are you here then?" Her arms crossed over her chest feeling the pounding sensation within it. "Squall's gone. Everyone thinks you're the hero you wanted to be. Your romantic dream seems to be complete. It would mean your end to restore the past, so what do you get out of this?"

"That is what you think I'm after?" She could see the rage build up as Seifer sneered at her, utterly insulted, "Someone else's glory? The only thing worse than death would be living in his shadow, in his life. I've never wanted that! I've got my own destiny to fulfill, and I won't waste it living in some lie. Unlike you, I admit what I am. I wasn't under Ultimecia's spell. Maybe she twisted my dreams and put ideas that weren't my own into my head, but her goals aligned with mine. I wanted the power over everyone else's lives, especially those at Garden, who thought I was worthless. I let her use me… I accept that. And I will pay the price in the end." His jaded eyes glared at her with passion.

"This… This is my last shot to fulfill my destiny because let's face it, we both know my days are numbered in our time. It's my only chance, and Hyne, only one person is going to write the ending to my story, and it's gonna be me! I'll take my death knowing that each man who puts a bullet through my body is only standing there because I allowed it!"

The echo of his voice was the only sound that competed with the hissing in the control room. Rinoa knew there was no reason to hide the shock on her face as Seifer realized the admission that came out in error. And for a moment, the façade broke, and he stood there like a child, realizing how little control he had over his life had things not changed so suddenly for him.

"So much for surprises," she whispered, so quietly she wasn't sure he even heard it.

It was impossible to explain the complex feelings that seemed to tear at her all at once. Shock maybe, with a small sense of victory. Victory in the sense that the victims of his romantic dream had the retribution they deserved.

But right then, she could still see the face of the man she met one fateful summer. The awe-inspiring force of nature that believed in her willingness to fight and helped secure a contract with SeeD to liberate Timber.

She could see the vulnerability in his face now of not knowing where he belonged. The hurt, the pain, and sadness, of not knowing whom his friends or enemies were. That stirred up the most uncomfortable feeling of all, pity.

But the rare emotion from Seifer was gone in a blink of an eye and replaced by anger once more.

"Screw this," Seifer muttered. "Get your answers from the man you're trying to kill because the last thing I need from you is your pity."

He charged out of the cockpit leaving her with more questions, then answers to why her future had turned so dark.

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The time she had alone in the cockpit was spent on salvaging what was left of her life. The tears she wanted to shed simply wouldn't come. There was a hollowness in her chest from where the news had penetrated, and slowly it felt like it was growing; threatening to swallow her whole. She needed to flee, be anywhere but where she had been held up for hours.

She trudged through the water to the door that struggled to open from all the water the vessel was taking in. It was clear that the door lead to some planning room. It still held its bare minimum skeleton décor, with steel structural beams serving as the only decorative accent to break up the spacious round room.

Rinoa walked towards the center of the room, where a large metal table occupied with several displaced chairs that remained tipped over around it. The closer she came to the table the brighter a hologram being projected from the center of the table grew. Once her eyes recognized the land, she couldn't tear her attention away.

Her movements were slow and unsteady as she neared the map, watching the shimmering lights glow in and out of intensity. When she was growing up in Deling, Rinoa was taught to think of their world as a spinning vortex of landmasses, spinning around a small island that was fisherman's horizon. On this map, however, that island simply didn't exist anymore.

Her homeland was the largest of these contents, located in the northwest part of the map. The content held many of major cities like Dollet, Deling, Timber and Winhill. She watched them glow a deep red that pulsed like a heart that was trying it's best to stay alive.

She clenched her shaking hands to get better control of them. Moving clockwise on the map, the content on the most northern point was Trabia, with Balamb tucked more centrally underneath it. It too was the color of blood, striking a deep contrast to the gray lands that remained around it.

"Balamb was the hardest on him," a voice startled her, causing her spin to around.

Lani may have been there the whole time sitting behind a large glass desk in the corner of the room, just observing her. Rinoa was relieved that she stayed calm as she did in the wake of what she was seeing.

"He fought for that island for months; giving everything he had in the process, but in the end it was just too far into enemy territory lines to keep a hold of."

"Enemy territory," she repeated the words lifelessly.

"Your territory," Sarvis confirmed solemnly.

Rinoa turned back to map to hide the horror that came over her.

Hers... All this in red was hers...

"The garden moves with the lines thankfully, but the city is occupied. Any retaliation he would make now would only cause those people more suffering. He has no choice but to step away."

The lump in her throat was hard to swallow.

"Esthar Centra are free?" Was it wrong to be thankful for something?

"Our strongest hold." Lani stood up from the desk and strode forward. "I guess it's not much of a surprise, being that Esthar is a temporary base for two out of the three Gardens."

Lani stood next to Rinoa calmly looking at the map instead of her. "Balamb and Trabia Garden, has taken up our cause and has dedicated all their resources to keeping the line from going any farther."

"Galbadia Garden?" Rinoa asked.

"I'm not sure the word neutral is appropriate. The highest bidder wins their soldiers; no matter the side. Self-preservation perhaps is the motivation. They want to live, no matter what lies at the end of this war for them. As you can imagine, it's created deep, painful lines in the organization."

To say all the information she had hurled herself into today was too much would be an understatement. There was no way she could look at the pain she was causing any more. Not without time to process it all. Rinoa quickly turned away from the vile map, careful to keep her gaze downward and away from Lani's inquisitive look.

"Where is everyone? How long until we can surface?" she broke off the conversation. She desperately needed to get away from this place, far away from this map and all the information it contained.

Lani laughed a little giving Rinoa an uneasy smile before pulling herself away from the map.

"They're below in Deck E. I'm sure you can understand how having you on board makes the SeeDs uneasy."

"You mean they are afraid of me," Rinoa stated flatly.

"They're afraid of what you will become," she adjusted it to be more politically correct.

She looked back slightly at Lani. "And you're not afraid of me?"

That seemed to catch her off guard for a moment. The White SeeD drew in a long sigh. She clearly hadn't expected to have that question come out, but didn't seem to shy away from answering it.

"I am. Not for the reasons others are." Lani's eyes fell on the map beside them. "I'm not good at mincing words, so I'll just come out and say it. I've been sleeping with Squall on and off for the past three years."

It was a fatal shot to the stomach that made Rinoa recoil from Lani. Maybe deep down some part of her knew that Seifer had been giving her warnings before, but she had been in too much denial to heed the subtle warning.

What was she expecting her to say something like that? "Oh…."

"Are you ok?" the SeeD questioned, more medically then as to her emotional state.

She was far from ok. She was going to be sick. So many images and so many different emotions were flowing through her that it would be insane to call her ok.

"I'm not sure… I can handle this right now." Or truthfully ever, the thought of Squall being with anyone else was painful, no matter what the situation was.

"I wish I could be more tactful about this. I know it's selfish of me to throw this all on to you giving the circumstance, but I know there may never be another chance for me to speak to you as frankly as I can now. If Squall knew, I was talking to you like this…" Her words broke off as she looked down to clear her throat. "Let's just say I doubt there would be any chance for us. You two have been apart for some time now, but it's your ghost that prevents him from ever truly moving on with his life. He can't move on because the Rinoa Heartilly of this world won't let him-"

"I don't exactly have much control over her-" Rinoa snapped back.

"That's true, but I'm not afraid of her as much as I am of you," Lani admitted, standing strong behind Rinoa.

"Me?" she asked. Her voice came out painfully high. "I don't know if you've noticed or not but he won't even look at me, let alone speak to me. Seeing all this, I can understand why."

"You just don't understand, do you?" she asked, sincerely amazed at whatever Rinoa was failing to see.

"The reason I'm not afraid of you like the others is because he can separate you…" Lani pointed to the map beside them. "… from her. He opened up to me about Ultimecia, and how these powers were forced on to you against your will. He told me all about how you were willing to let them take you into space years ago, but on his urging you didn't go through with it. He still remembers that Rinoa. You, as you are now. I think that's what makes him so volatile tight now."

Rinoa turned to look back at the exotic beauty that was so hauntingly forward that it made her almost impossible to dislike. It made Rinoa hate herself even more for feeling this way towards her.

"He's not innocent in this war Ms. Heartilly. He has done some things that gave you reasons for hating him, and I'm sure it's hard for him to look you in the eye because of it."

"That what I keep hearing. That I can't forgive him for something, but no one will tell me what that is! Is it really bad enough to make me want to wipe him from history completely?"

The stunning silence answered her question. Rinoa couldn't fathom what Squall could have done to her that would be a reason for her hating him, especially seeing how much of the world had seen her wrath. What could he have done that was so terrible?

"He lives with what he had to do every day, and that much I think he could handle. But now you are here as the ghost of his past looking for answers. In his mind, he has failed you, and I think you understand how a SeeD reacts to failure."

"It seems like I failed him," Rinoa said, her eyes gazing over all the red continents.

"I wish he would see it that way too, but he just doesn't." Lani's deep brown met hers. "What I'm ultimately asking for is a womanly curtsey to know that I AM here in his life now-"

Rinoa couldn't believe her ears."I'm really no threat to you."

Lani seemed to take a step back and place her hands behind her back as a perfect SeeD would do. There would be so many reasons for Squall to like her, and that was eating Rinoa alive.

"You just don't understand how important you are to him. I'd envy to be in your position." Her eyes suddenly flickered back to the table next to them. "Well, maybe not all of it."

Cutting her off a shrill set of rings went off through the room causing both women to jump back into the presence. A series of crackles came from a screen back by the glass desk before a male voice suddenly rang through.

"Deployed White Vessel number 76-425. Balamb Garden is picking up your distress signal, do you copy?"

Lani rushed back to the desk, picking up a wireless earpiece to secure behind her ear.

"Rodger, White Vessel number 76-425 employed code blue. We are looking for a pickup of 15 souls."

"Commander Quistis welcomes you on board White vessel," a man's voice informed.

"Commander Quistis?" Rinoa's heart dropped.

"Tell the commander to save her welcoming until after we meet in private. Can that be arranged?"

"R-Roger. I'll pass on the message. We've locked on to your coordinates. Proceed to rise."

"Copy that." Lani looked up ending the call. "I almost forgot, and Commander Quistis go way back. She took Squall's position."

Rinoa wasn't sure if she should be elated at the prospect of seeing her friend or terrified by how her friend may react to seeing her.

"Yes, when he first quit SeeD," Lani explained, typing away at the keyboard but suddenly paused wondering is if maybe she had divulged too much information.

Back when he first quit.

Rinoa knew she was twenty-two years in the future, making Squall in his late thirties. Leonhart certainly looked good for his age, likely the reason he captivated the woman behind the desk who had to be at least 12 or 13 years his junior. Rinoa slowly looked over at Lani typing furiously on the screen to send a computerized message over the vessels speakers of their plans to ascend.

She wasn't sure there would be any competition even if there were one. Rinoa had no chance based on looks alone. With the map as a glowing reminder of all the sins and pain she caused her soul mate, she wasn't sure there would be any way to make things right again, even if she tried.

Ooo000ooo

It took most of the day for them to ascend safely with the lack of power the engines held. By the white vessel safely emerged from the blue ocean, Balamb Garden was visible floating on the sea effortlessly in the a sky full of sky blue, pink hues. The sight stole Rinoa's breath as it approached in its full glory leading the tumultuous day to a closed.

Rinoa waited on the top deck with the group of other white SeeDs who all wore long white hooded jackets to protect them from the sprays of water the Garden sent their ways. Unfortunately for Rinoa, she had no such cover as she crossed her arms in an attempt to stay warm in the freezing mist.

Lani forced the long white coat into her hands. "Here take mine."

Again, with her showing kindness with such sincerity, Rinoa frowned to herself.

"I can't, you need it…," Rinoa replied wanting to reject her altogether.

"I think you better take it, Ms. Heartilly. You forget how many people in this garden are targeting you. "

Her eyes widen at the realization that Lani was right. She was entering a moving school with hundreds of future SeeDs all training to kill her as they speak. The beautiful sight suddenly went one of being of comfort and safety, to perilous danger.

"Leader Leonhart had a private discussion with the Commander an hour ago. We will be entering through the hull and be lead away from the others for your security."

Rinoa let the topic flow away in the wind as she watched the hull doors slowly open and rope ladders with harness thrown down to them. Rinoa quickly threw the white coat over herself and raised the hood to give her some camouflage.

Only two people stood out on the forward deck of the ship. Seifer's coat could pass almost pass off as a white SeeD coat, had he not been so careless in his stance that seemed to be attracting everyone's attention. Something had sparked the ex- knight's amusement as he spoke, waving his hands to emphasize the point he was trying to make, and next to him standing patiently was Squall.

He had changed from his cream-colored uniform into a sleek black uniform dress pants that had a matching long black coat with silver piping on the edges. His jacket, however, was carelessly left unbuttoned, exposing the white shirt underneath where a silver chain laid tucked under.

The griever, Rinoa was happy to see some things of him remained steadfast.

Rinoa watched the two carefully. Naturally Seifer was doing all the talking as Leonhart stood next to him silently listening as mist gathered on the hair secured away from his face.

It still was a hard sight to believe, Leonhart standing there, more relaxed with the crazed man who strung him up for torture than the woman who he supposedly still cared for.

Her hands instantly went to her necklace that was tucked carefully into her gray sweatshirt. She lifted the chain up spilling over the two rings. His ring and his jacket were the only two reminders that he existed. The only reasons why she still had faith that he could still come home and wasn't permanently casted from her world.

As soon as the disabled vessel was within a safe range of Garden to disembark, each seed grabbed hold of a rope and harnessed up. With one click of a button, the harness raced each SeeD up the multiple stories.

"Stay close," Lani instructed, steadying a rope for Rinoa's use and handed her a harness. "Once we get onboard we should peel off from the group and meet with Commander Quistis."

Rinoa gripped the rope in her hand looking up at the large distance she would have to travel and not knowing what would be waiting for her up there. Morbid curiosity made her excited to see how her friend had changed with time, but it was the exact frame of thought that made her hands shake. So much time has passed and so many things, what would her friend think of her?

Rinoa slipped into the harness and carefully pressed the button that would lift her away from the doomed airship, knowing there was no way she could go back to her time now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, It's time to review again. Why? Because that's how writers know if they should keep going. You want me to keep going right? =)


	6. Chapter 6: Price of War

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Chapter 6: Price of War

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Once they regrouped in the hull of Balamb Garden, Lani flanked Rinoa's right side while Seifer appeared at her left. From the seriousness they displayed Rinoa had the overwhelming impression this was the last place, they wanted to be. Rinoa felt Lani's arm link around hers guiding her along the metal walkway of the floating cities bowels. The first door they came too held a sign of forbiddance, but Sarvis produced a code that released the massive deadlock allowing the door to free itself from its frame.

The next room was nothing more than a service corridor that housed deafening, hissing pipes that made all communications between them useless. Rinoa stepped through covering her ears as she watched her guides do the same. Lani nodded towards a dark corner where they saw a metal ladder leading up to a service hatch. Seifer nudged her towards the ladder, and with a grimace, she followed his movements towards it.

Rinoa uncovered her ears she looked up through the hatch to see a never ending feat in front of them

"Are we climbing every level of Garden?!" She shouted but Seifer either didn't hear her or ignored her as he hoisted himself up.

Lani nudged Rinoa shoulder to follow quickly, making her release a groan that no one would hear.

The heat of the pipes made the ordeal even more arduous. Not even past the second floor and Rinoa had sweat dripping from her temples. The only blessing in this was that with every step up, the quieter it became.

"Come on Heartilly, are you that out of shape?" Seifer blasted her as he took a second to wipe his face clean.

Rinoa rolled her eyes too tired as the continued upwards to even fight back. "Can we just float up?"

"Being aimlessly stuck in a corner until the spell fades which would likely send you to your death. Not the best plan."

The order they were in was well thought out, Rinoa realized. Sarvis below her wouldn't be able to see her scowling at her practical marks. Seifer wasn't below her so she couldn't kick him to his death.

Seifer climbed the first few floors as if it was a walk in the park, but as the party reached their destination, they were all completely out of breath and sweaty from the ordeal. However, by the end of it the entire party was covered heavily in sweat from the ordeal. The burning in Rinoa's calves made her desperately want to sit down.

Lani wordlessly issued orders for them to regroup. Not more than a few yards away, a steel door similar to the on they had entered from waited. Seifer wiped his brow as he looked to her for assurance she could press on.

Rinoa let out a slight laugh but nodded and followed the fanatical former knight to wear another access panel waited.

A few digits pressed in later, and the doors ushered the group on to the secured administrative floor. The decor undoubtedly changed since her time, but Rinoa recognized this as being the same floor as Headmaster Cid's office.

No one would need to tell Rinoa what she already knew. She carefully lifted her hood to obscure her face just as a set of SeeDs rushed towards the intruders.

Lani stepped out as a barrier between her and the unexpected company.

"Lieutenant Lani Sarvis from White SeeD for Commander Quistis. Our clearance code."

She produced a silver card that seemed unsatisfactory. Rinoa kept her head down but took a few quick glances up to get a general idea of what they were up against. The SeeD on the left rivaled Seifer in height and weight but for being middle aged he had more muscle packed on him than most. Rinoa was confident that his power would even give Zell a run for his money in a hand-to-hand fight. This SeeD's dark eyes had scanned all of them before he touched his ear.

Despite not being able to see an earpiece, Rinoa knew that someone was giving orders behind the scenes. It was an impressive upgrade in security that would be beneficial to the field when blending in was imperative.

The SeeD gave a small nod to the SeeD to the right who was much thinner and shorter than his companion. Bleach blonde hair and baby blue eyes lifted a glass plate the emitted words unreadable to them.

The larger SeeD looked suddenly having seen enough. "You are granted permission to pass with identifying yourselves for security purposes."

Rinoa's two companions froze as the man held out his device for them. Rinoa could recognize a finger scanner when she saw one, even with the new technology disguising it. She looked at Lani knowing this could not end well.

"I want Commander Quistis-" Lani begun to object but was cut off by the smaller SeeD.

"Commanders Orders," he supplied more strongly.

The silent deadlock between them felt as if it went on forever until Seifer scoffed while pushing past her.

"Screw it, Sarvis," Seifer blasted before shoving his index finger on the machine.

Rinoa could breath as a series of beeps rang out pulling up a detailed file containing Seifer Almasy's picture with the word deceased across it.

The middle-aged SeeD looked up doing his best to hide his horrified expression. He had no idea that this was only the starting point of the revelations he would learn today.

Lani was the next one to be scanned and as expected her record pulled up easily and flashed with multiple clearance codes. Then it was her turn. The Guard held the machine out for Rinoa, who hidden a little ways away from the rest.

Approaching slowly, Rinoa lifted her hand and placed her finger on the screen. The moment she heard the beeps she retreated anticipating the alarms that started to go off. The machine flashed red with the letters K.O.S flashing in bold white font.

"Kos?" Rinoa whispered.

"Kill on sight," Seifer's answered. His voice dropped in octave as he unquestionably anticipated a fight.

"Do we have a problem?" Lani's voice held firm as she refused to react to the alarm.

The blue eyed SeeD cleared the alarm, which in turn pulled up Rinoa's profile. That was when both SeeDs eyes looked up at her with contempt. The blonde's hand instinctually went to his gun and pulled it on Rinoa.

The rational reaction should have been to run, but instead Rinoa turned to stone staring at the two SeeDs. Truthfully the gun had her speechless, but it was the look in the larger SeeD's eyes that made her shake from fear. His eyes bore into her with a hatred she had never seen before.

Rinoa lowered her hood knowing there was no point in pretending anymore.

"Cadet Lawson. Do we have access or not?" Sarvis watched the larger SeeD. Lani also recognized that, despite appearances, the threat was not the man with the gun.

The blonde SeeD seemed to be listening to a voice on the other side of his earpiece and quickly withdrew the gun from the group before addressing the group.

"You have access to the Commanders Office." The words carried his disdain, but he followed his invisible orders and stood aside.

Despite the proclamation, the man who stood silently entranced with Rinoa's presence remained impassable. Lani did her best to break the SeeDs concentration, but it was proving to be futile.

"Stand Down, Lawson. This one is not the one we're targeting."

Sarvis now took a defensive stance that made Rinoa wonder how far this was going to go. Just as her mind started to question if she should try to protect herself, a large body filler her line of sight.

Seifer placed himself in front of the intimidating SeeD going head to head with him. "You've got two options and a fast decision to make. Step to the side or pray to Hyne that I leave you with the ability to walk."

Seifer Confidently smiled as if the SeeD in front of him would go with the latter.

"Listen to him Lawson," Lani tried to diffuse the situation, but she too knew the situation as deteriorating too quickly.

Rinoa peered around to see the burning hatred pouring through his soulless eyes. He looked as if he were possessed and someone was overriding every instinct the SeeD had to obey commands.

"I lost two of my children to you," the SeeD told her as his voice rolled out like thunder.

Rinoa opened her mouth in disbelief, but it was clear that a voice in his ear finally had reached through to him as his eyes went unfocused for a slight moment. Dropping his gaze, the SeeD took a step to the side and Seifer wasted no time grabbing Rinoa forcefully to pass the mercenary, who still very much wanted to act on his scanners command.

"Keep walking," Seifer ordered as Lani and Leonhart covered Rinoa from behind in case the SeeD would have second thoughts about his decision.

Rinoa looked straight ahead, but her mind focused on his words. Because of her his children were dead. Now she walked forward, and every step made her heart grow heavier as she thought back to the anguish blazing in his eyes.

"I thought he was going to kill me, " she whispered.

"The whole world wants you dead. Haven't you figured that out yet?" Seifer sniped back as a set of large frosted glass doors came into view.

The group paused in front of the frosted glass doors that had Balamb's crest etched in white on each side. Only a year ago, had she stood outside these doors with her friends before learning of Squall disappearance. Back then they had been made of solid oak, with the couches lining the hallway being more of the traditional Balamb feel of tan leather.

Now everything in the Garden seemed to reflect the Garden's Commander in Chief's taste. It seemed play along well with Esthar's preferred aesthetics of clear glass and clean lines.

Seifer was the first to burst through without offering a knock to warn the room's occupants of their arrival. The room was floor to ceiling glass, curved to the shape of Garden's outer exterior wall. What once was carpeted now laid polished cement shined to reflect like marble.

The room still had its familiar furniture arrangement, although an elegant glass desk replaced Cid's large oak desk. Glass panels seemed to float above the surface while displaying different video feeds from security cameras. In the far corner, there were two large white leather sectional couches and a glass coffee table covered in newspapers and a single white cup of tea.

It was there that Leonhart sat on one of them with his head buried in his hands, clearly in a state of being distraught. It only took a second for him to react to the group's invasion as he sat up removing all traces of emotion from his face. He gave a sideways glance towards Seifer, but he appeared soulless.

Seifer mostly ignored the awkward scene as he callously walked towards the group and through his oversized body on the couch. Leaning his head backward, Seifer over exaggerated a sigh before kicking his feet up on the glass table.

The entire room's attention was now on him.

"Hyne, I'm tired," he grumbled, ignoring the solemn presence that had overcome the room. "Can we get some food up here or something?"

Lani and Rinoa still stood by the door, trying to process Seifer's bizarre act. It took them both a half a second to remember how to move.

Lani led the way assuming the usual stance in front of her superior. "Commander."

A few other people stood up from the couch at the greeting, but most of them were no one she recognized until her eyes went back towards Squall.

"Quistis?" Rinoa drew in a breath of shock.

She hadn't recognized her at first glance, despite her being the one next to Squall and quite possibly had been the one comforting him before they had made their presence known. Rinoa should have known it was her with the way Leonhart let himself come undone next to her. He wasn't known for leaning on others in a time of need. Certainly not on the shoulder strangers by any account.

Quistis sat beside him dressed in a full traditional Commander's uniform. Her hair was much lighter than the honeycomb blonde she wore in her time and was neatly secured up in a twist. Only a few blonde strands escaped their confinements falling to where glasses were absent. Without them, her glacial blue eyes exposed their full wonder when falling on Rinoa.

Her mouth gaped as she rose slowly. She mad have been a few pounds heavier that she was as a teenager, but she her tall frame was still lean and very fit. A few soft lines left presents in her forehead as she studied Rinoa from a far but that she still had her sultry look. None of those things would be the cause for Rinoa to not recognize her friend. No, it was the profoundly disfiguring burn that changed her appearance considerably.

The burn ran from her right temple hairline, down over her right cheekbone and just missed her lips before falling to her jaw line. The skin was pulled tight, fluctuated unevenly in texture and color. Parts of it were close to her natural skin color but then varied from hues of pink to a reddish purple.

Quistis' reaction to Rinoa remained unreadable as she took a step forward, cocking only one eyebrow as if she questioned if what she saw was real. Then there was a brief moment of hesitation, which Rinoa could not tell if it was just simply from astonishment or fear. A part Rinoa couldn't deny that it hurt her when her friend showed such uneasiness at her presence, but it was still a far better reaction than what Rinoa had ultimately feared.

"Rinoa?" Quistis asked guardedly. Her speech was exactly the same as how she remembered it in its even it was nearly monotone. It was then Rinoa could see her friend so clearly that it was as if no time had passed at all.

"Quistis…" Rinoa stopped, her words kept failing her. There was never enough time to think of anything appropriate to say. She knew sorry was not close to being enough, but a simple greeting seemed blatantly callous. It left her standing there voiceless.

Quistis continued to move cautiously closer to Rinoa, in an elegant way that could only be a trademark of hers. The way she approached was as if one misstep would send Rinoa running. It made unease flood Rinoa as her former friend came to rest in front of her.

Quistis's eyes searched hers as if she was looking for recognition, possibly looking to see if she were an imposter. Slowly she covered her mouth in astonishment. She now believed what was in front of her.

Unexpectedly, Quistis' arms were around her pulling her into a tight embrace. It was a move so unlike Quistis that it made Rinoa freeze on impact. Nearly a minute had gone by before Rinoa remembered how to reciprocate.

"It's really you," Quistis whispered trying to grapple with what she saw.

Rinoa suffered through a thin smile as the blonde pulled away. "Yeah, it's me."

Despite the hard to disregard the flaw, Quistis was just beautiful as she had been when she was a teenager. Still, it was clear to see the weight of the last few years was beginning to take her their toll.

"Ah, what a reunion," Seifer quipped from the white leather couch. "But seriously I'm starving. Don't you have a butler or something around here?"

Rinoa shot Seifer a dirty look that went unnoticed, but Quistis kept a hand on either side of Rinoa's shoulder letting herself take a good look at her.

"It's been so long…" Quistis started, shaking her head, reliving the years in an instant. "I feel like it has been an entire lifetime since I truly saw you last."

The Commander dropped her arms to Rinoa's side still not wanting to let go of her. Quistis turned over her shoulder to look at Leonhart, who kept his eyes lowered to the floor, uninterested in the reunion.

"If anyone should understand it, it should be you, Squall." Quistis stared at the man who simply disregarded the remark. It was now abundantly clear to Rinoa that Quistis hadn't been comforting Squall, but rather fighting with him. The air around them turned cold.

She turned back to Rinoa. "It's hard seeing you like this. Like how you use to be, but I'm still so happy to see you. It reminds me why we're fighting so hard."

"Will you keep her here?" Leonhart finally spoke. His voice seemed troubled.

Quistis kept her eye on Rinoa but, the Sorceress couldn't help but look at Squall in astonishment. He just wanted to dump her here and leave? Rinoa wanted to curse him out right then and there, not caring who would hear her. It was Quistis's voice that suddenly took over the conversation.

"You know I can't do that." Quistis finally turned to Leonhart. "I'm already doing too much as it is by bringing her into Garden. There is too much at risk."

"Like, Mr. Commando outside who wants to become the hero right now," Seifer added nonchalantly. "You picked the guy who's kids died to guard your door?"

"If having victims of the war disqualified soldiers from doing their mission then we would have no one to fight. He is one of the few that I thought I could trust."

Seifer scoffed at that as Sarvis gave him a warning look to not interject further.

Frustrated, Quistis returned her attention to Leonhart. "I also have students I have to protect. You know how stressed our resources are here now. We hardly can function day to day even with Esthar's support-"

"You're comparing your resources to ours?" Leonhart pointed out the imbalance.

"I know," Quistis admitted, knowing that much was true. "We're all being pushed to our limits, but I can't risk becoming her target. It's explicitly clear that even our most trusted SeeDs I can't be trusted around her. I have no doubt they would fail me in a heartbeat if it meant-"

Quistis stopped short suddenly, but Rinoa was tired of people talking about her.

"They could kill me now and end this." Rinoa finished her sentence. She wanted them just to speak plainly because they weren't sparing her feelings by sacrificing a few words. The meaning and outcome were still the same.

"So there would be no future with you in it. Makes sense for them," Seifer said, looking through a pile of newspapers on the couch.

Leonhart towards Rinoa at what might be the first response that wasn't cold or rebuffing. "That's not going to happen."

Quistis draped her arms around herself. "The best I really can offer you is to reconnect you to the White ship in Esthar. You know we stand with you and will fight, but we need a new plan."

"We have one. She's standing in front of you," Seifer pointed out.

Squall shot him another warning shot. "No, Almasy."

"But, he's right," Rinoa spoke up looking at Squall. "I'm standing right here whether you want me to be or not. I have the ability to fight so just let me. Give me the opportunity to fix my transgressions. I want to be able to redeem myself."

Seifer looked at Leonhart annoyed. "See, she wants to do it."

Quistis looked to the room for understanding. "Can you give us a few minutes, please?"

"Don't. Not you too," Leonhart warned looking up. His crystal blue eyes pleaded Quistis not to take this any further. The sight was pitiful and made Rinoa look down at the floor.

"Squall, it's been thirty-eight years already. Can't you just trust me for once without fighting me every step of the way?" Quistis raised an eyebrow. "You have to trust me that I'm only trying to help you."

The air grew tense as Leonhart fought his internal emotions. Rinoa was confident he was going to deny the request, but surprisingly he just looked off to the side before giving a small nod.

Seifer grunted at having to pick himself off the couch, but as he trailed after Leonhart, he gave Rinoa an expression that made her grow timid.

When the door closed behind them, it was only Quistis and herself in the room. She could see the unease trapped behind the faux confidence the former instructor tried to present. She was certain it had to be hard for her to adjust to the idea of Rinoa not being hostile.

"The last time I spoke to you almost six years ago." Quistis smiled apprehensively. Rinoa watched as she walked towards the large leather sofas and nearly collapsed into it. "Truthfully, you haven't been yourself for much longer than that."

"When did I- when did this all start?" Rinoa asked finding it difficult to start this discussion.

She half expected Quistis to pull away from her questions like the others had. Instead, Quistis offered her a spot on the couch next to her.

Rinoa's body hurriedly obliged, wanting to welcome the comfort it had failed to receive in months. Still it was hard to be fully relaxed here despite this being a familiar atmosphere. In her time, Garden is equally guilty of hunting her team down.

"Squall wants me to persuade you to go back to your time."

"I wouldn't waste your breath trying," Rinoa warned her fairly.

Quistis smiled knowing as much. "Squall's plan is to keep you in the dark about everything that has happened in our time. I see the logic in it, but how fair is it to use you this way?"

Rinoa studied the scars marring her friend's perfect image. So many would want to hide such imperfection, yet Quistis kept her long hair pulled away. It almost as if she invited the world to see it. It was a strength only Quistis could have. Rinoa would be too vain to deal with it with such grace.

She had always had more strength than Rinoa, and time hadn't changed that.

"Things were fine for awhile," Quistis started to recall what seemed to be painful memories. "Squall filed motions to be discharged from SeeD the year after Ultimecia. While Cid couldn't outright refuse, he did make it as difficult as possible for him to walk away. The board put everything he could have ever wanted on the table except for the one thing he needed. That was you."

Rinoa felt uncomfortable suddenly, and her eyes fell to her hands resting in her lap.

"He didn't want to leave?" Rinoa inquired, not sure what questions would be off limits.

"No, he told me he wanted to stay. But you weren't happy in Balamb and, in the end, he simply wanted you more. He left for Timber with you, since that was the only way he could keep what was most important to him."

Rinoa had a hard time picturing Squall outside of SeeD, and the idea that he would give it all up just to be with her made her breathless.

"It was a hard adjustment for him out there. A SeeD is not used to living a quiet life, but he found a job out there that kept his mind away from Garden's affairs and for a year or two, things were peaceful."

Rinoa knew could see Quistis's face shift into a more solemn appearance as she continued, "However, by then Galbadia had reestablished its government. Its first test of military power was a surprise attack on Timber trying to reclaim what it had lost in the war.

Both your roles changed then. Squall went from being a quiet day laborer to gathering and training troops for the incoming invasion. You and the Forest Owls reunited to plan for defense, and in the end, you were the sole reason that Timber won that war."

Rinoa could read between the lines. She used her powers to keep Timber free. The idea seemed ridiculous and dangerous. She couldn't quite believe it.

"Despite it being some of the darkest days in Timber's history, you two were the happiest. You both had a purpose and that purpose aligned with one another." Quistis trailed off.

"But then?" Rinoa she needed to brace herself.

Quistis looked at her and tilted her head trying to think of how to explain it. "But then you started to change. With each wave of oppression that you defeated your powers grew. I remember a frantic call from Squall that summer. Panic was in his voice as he described your abilities. You were far more powerful then Edea from the start, but by another six months, he was certain you were almost as strong as Ultimecia. You were only in your early twenties…. he wasn't sure how much further it could go."

Rinoa stayed silent trying to take all that in without her racing heart giving away how much the idea frightened her.

"A few months went by, and you were elected to be Timber's first President as a free city-state. Despite the constant threat of attacks, Timber's economy took off but then a year or two later came the Battle Of Timber's Shore."

Quistis looked down taking the teacup that laid untouched for so long.

"Galbadia feared you and sent their entire Army including some they bought from SeeD against you. What they didn't know was they never stood a chance. None of us had any idea what kind of powers slept inside of you.. it was the end of Galbadia. "

"Wait." Rinoa couldn't get past the lingering personal question. She was so afraid that Quistis wouldn't answer it, but she had to try. "What side of the war was my father on?"

Quistis expression did not hide the truth from Rinoa and Rinoa felt a strangled cry lurch out before her hands could cover her mouth. Her eyes narrowed that burned with tears. She shook her head, making her black hair scatter around her shoulders and tears fell forward.

"Your father made his choice Rinoa. You tried many times to make contact with him through the years. He abandoned you as a lost cause because he couldn't control you. He was never going to stop until you ended it."

" I always though that was the beginning of the end. You harbored a lot of anger towards SeeD, and towards the world that distrusted you. You felt alone even with your friends around you. This was around the time that you started to think back to Seifer, and how you regretted that none of you spoke on his behalf at the trial. I know that angered Squall. You two would argue about it. You two were under so much strain from factors you couldn't control."

Quistis continued, "On my recommendation, Squall brought you to see Doctors in Esthar. I think you started to resent him for suggesting it. But you went on the condition that the meetings with Dr. Odine were just to gain better control over your powers and no attempt at limiting them would be made. You thought it was critical to keep them as it was the only way to keep Timber safe. In the end, Esthar divided both of you."

"When you decided going to Esthar was no longer beneficial, Squall made trips to Esthar alone. This lead to insecurities and jealousy between the two of you. Whenever he would return, he wasn't always so forward with where he had been or what he been up to while he was away. I think you always could sense that through your bond. Neither of you had any chance to discuss it before you targeted Deling."

Rinoa stared blankly at Quistis until she felt the burn of a stray tear moving down her cheek. Rinoa quickly pushed her black hair behind her ears and tried to push her emotions away..

"Do you want me to stop?" Quistis asked.

Rinoa couldn't reply. The words she wanted to say were nowhere adequate, so instead she just lowered her head and waited for her to continue.

Taking a breath to steel herself, Quistis pressed on. "Squall confided in me that you wanted Deling in your hands so no one would come after Timber again, but I knew it was a lie. I could see it in his face. He opposed the idea, but so many others had filled in while he was gone that his opinion was mostly ineffective. He tried to remain neutral in that war, but it drew criticism from around the world. The world saw you as another as another Sorceress eating up countries left, and right and you weren't refuting that view."

"That was when I officially took a stand against you. I was the first, and a part of me hoped that it would be enough for you to the path you were on was wrong. Leaders around the world followed suit, each one setting sanctions and ceasing trade with you. It was enough though, and soon the world's leaders wanted your knight to take a stand. Squall at first refused to be bullied, but even Laguna had to close Esthar's doors to Squall. That nearly killed Laguna, and I believe it contributed to the severe heart attack he had that year."

"Squall lost a lot of himself in those years. He did what he could to keep his life pieced together and was homeless trying to stay out of it. Then eight years ago your forces moved in on Dollet. There had been no warning and no cause for the attack and didn't have Squall any inclination that was in your plan. Squall finally had enough and pledged his loyalty to SeeD publicly instead of you."

Rinoa nodded despite feeling dead inside."He promised to be my knight even if the world would go against me. I interpreted the meaning as if people wanted to put me in space unjustly. I never thought it meant anything like this. Nothing about this makes me question whether or not I should help him."

Quistis looked down about to say anything but paused.

"No…" Rinoa warned. "Don't stop there, please. I need to know everything that happened."

"There are just some things I can't get into details about. It's important to Squall, and I have to respect that even if I disagree with it."

"A series of events happened," Quistis continued. "It destroyed you completely. You never recovered, and Squall broke your trust in a way that he can't repair. I need you to know, Rinoa, and I helped him in his betrayal. I'm equal in his guilt, and I need you to understand that. I knew that helping him come with a price but I did what I thought was best for all involved."

Rinoa looked at the burn on Quistis face. "Did… Did I do that to you?"

Quistis paused, and Rinoa's eyes grew.

"I told you. I knew the price of going against you," Quistis dismissed it like it was nothing.

"Hyne, Quistis!" Rinoa gasped at the horror of herself. What she was capable of doing?

"Rinoa!" Quistis snapped demandingly. "No! You don't get to feel sorry for me. Not for this ok?"

How could Rinoa not break down knowing she had marred her friend's beauty in such away? Quistis was nearly a saint in her eyes, but no one could forgive someone for doing that to her!

"This is nothing compared to what we did, Okay?" Quistis pleaded with her but how could Rinoa understand? She tried. She searched deep down to think of what kind of betrayal could make that reaction acceptable.

"Afterward, I reinstated Squall as the Leader to the White SeeD Ships. For the next year and a half, it had been the darkest in our world's history. Cities burned as a result of the feud, but then suddenly it all ceased. Until a year ago that is..."

"One year ago was when Squall disappeared in my time," Rinoa whispered.

"And when someone triggered the TBA," Quistis said.

Rinoa's eyes narrowed. "TBA?"

"I'm getting ahead of myself." Quistis rubbed her forehead, as she looked long ways at Rinoa. "One of the things Ultimecia proved was that our world was defenseless at protecting or detecting time traveling. This was part of what Squall was up to on his many trips to Esthar. He didn't want you to know because he feared you would suspect him of not trusting you."

"Apparently rightfully so," Rinoa said, frowning.

"They couldn't make time traveling impossible, but they could detect when someone had moved through a time barrier. Ellone was very useful in testing out this defense system. They named it the Time Barrier Alarm."

"The TBA," Rinoa repeated. "So it detected me going back in time to erase Squall from history?"

Quistis nodded. "Ellone went back in time in my head, and Squall was missing," Quistis nodded. "I was on a train waiting for all of you to join me. I was sitting there thinking would happen to you if we couldn't recover Squall. I was concern that we would lose you too. That's when we knew that you had done something to the timeline. Ultimately you were but was unsuccessful completing it."

"She felt pretty successful to me," Rinoa quipped dryly.

"I'm sure it does, but your memory of Squall in the past might be all that keeps Squall here in this future. We speculate that the Rinoa in this timeline doesn't have the full power to erase him completely. That's why she is looking for someone to help bridge the gap."

"Another sorceress?" Rinoa asked feeling her heart sink.

"You in fact."

"Me?" Rinoa scoffed.

Quistis nodded turning her whole body towards Rinoa. "She sent many to retrieve you for that purpose. Squall was the first one to go back in time himself to witness it."

Rinoa looked away. All this time she thought she had been one step ahead and apparently there was something much larger going on around her that she was completely unaware of.

Her first thought went to the man at the bar that held the only photograph of Squall she had ever seen. Rinoa wondered now if she looked at that photograph again would she see Leonhart of this time or the Squall she remembers? It left one imperative question remaining.

"How?" She couldn't wrap her mind around it. "How did Leonhart time travel? How did Seifer and I come across?"

Quistis lips formed a straight line as her eyes deviated.

"Again, you can't go into that," Rinoa scoffed at it all.

"I want to tell you everything Rinoa, but I can't. It's not my call to make. Ask Squall how you managed to do it and you will have your answer," Quistis said seriously.

"That would be like trying to squeeze water from a rock. He won't even look me in the eye let alone talk to me."

"He'll have to speak to you at some point if you still plan to stay." Quistis reasoned. "But think about it Rinoa. Knowing all this, and knowing that he hurt you profoundly, would you still help him?"

Rinoa looked at Quistis. "No matter what, I don't have the right to take away a life completely. That's not my call to make. Moreover, I can't punish the Squall I know for what he will do someday to me. I can't live my life like that."

A hint of a sad smile was evident on Quistis face as she looked out the window at the stars starting to come out. "I think that is something he needs to hear from you. Even though it's been a long time since the two of you seen each other, you're still one of the most important people in his life Rinoa."

Maybe, if he'd ever be in the room longer than two seconds with her, she would. Rinoa sighed.

"So Seifer really had nothing to do with Squall disappearing," Rinoa grumbled out loud.

That did make Quistis laugh.

"Squall gave him a chance to redeem himself. He's done a good job protecting you from the men who wanted to kidnap you," Quistis pointed out making Rinoa internally groan, knowing she probably owed him something along the line of an apology now. The idea made her nauseous.

"That's enough emotional turmoil for one day." Quistis stood up and faced Rinoa. "Things will not be easier from here on out. It will be next to impossible but try to rest, alright? Remember you're a different person then the woman we talked about. You will want to to take all the blame for her mistakes, but they are not your own. Not yet."

Rinoa wasn't sure she could fully agree to that, but she remained silent as Quistis led her down the hallway of the secured corridor to the room that would house her until they made it to Esthar. Quistis was right that it would be difficult to sleep with all the knowledge she had swimming around in her head. Sleep was doubtful, but a place to lie down and think would be welcomed.

But as Quistis swiped her keycard, the first thing to greet them was a nearly naked Seifer with nothing but a towel loosely draped around his his midsection with a toothbrush in his mouth.

He smirked as he pushed the toothbrush aside long enough to mumble out, "Hey, roommate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well as always PLEASE read and review. Good… bad... about nothing at all, doesn't matter!


	7. Chapter 7: Fate's Chosen Path

Beta: HeartlessTitania

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Chapter 7: Fate's Chosen Path

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If there were anywhere else for Rinoa to look, she would have done just done that, but the room was physically smaller than the shoeboxes given to SeeDs while stationed there. And, of course, nothing helps a room look smaller than a giant, glistening, mostly naked, ex-knight that took up a good portion of the room.

Rinoa quickly shielded her eyes from the imposing sight, but it was far too late to deflect the damage. Too much information about Seifer's body had been stored in her head now. Perhaps, had it been anyone else, she could have appreciated the stone like curvatures in their natural state. But it was Seifer and that fact alone made her wonder where she could find a vat of acid strong enough to burn the image out of her memory.

"Clothes. Please. Now," she demanded as Quistis behind her took two significant steps back.

"Wow." Her tone was not necessarily of horror like Rinoa's, but instead of astonishment that made her lose a bit of her professionalism. "You know I think you can handle yourself from here. I've got…more…work..."

Quistis never finished her sentence as Rinoa heard the door shut behind her, leaving her alone in this predicament with no backup.

The amusement was evident in Seifer's laugh as he shook his head at the abrupt change of course Quistis made. "Wow, I thought we were all adults here. You're all acting like you haven't seen a man before, especially you Rinoa. Never pegged you as a prude."

"Clothes," she demanded again, standing firm in her request. However, Seifer had other ideas as he casually leaned against the wall.

Rinoa swiftly looked around, trying to get a bearing of the space in case the situation with Seifer became unbearable. The quick glance was all that she needed to realized there was nowhere to turn without running into the enormous body in front of her. He nearly took up the entire living space as it was.

A single person bunk was pushed up against the right side of the wall that already had been claimed by the former knight leaving Rinoa with little options. The only other place to sleepable was a beaten down love seat that probably had been in service in her time. Rinoa's best-educated guess would be that the door to her right led to the bathroom.

Seifer pulled the toothbrush out of his mouth.

"Can't," he answered, swallowing the toothpaste dry, making Rinoa internally gag. "I washed them in the sink. None of his clothes fits me-"

"His? You mean Leonheart?" Rinoa looked up realizing whom this room belonged too, but hastily remembered why she had been keeping her eyes down in the first place. That small towel was indeed getting looser and heading south in a hurry. She wished she hadn't noticed that.

"Our less than gracious host for the night," Seifer confirmed, sticking the toothbrush back in his mouth.

She looked around, trying to figure out how this room could accommodate the three of them. The place had to have been a supply closet at one point in time that turned into a bedroom.

Rinoa questioned why there would be a need for a room on a secured floor until she realized it was likely to protect Leonhart from herself. The notion made Rinoa grow ill and her need to lie down was greater.

"There isn't another room somewhere? There's only one bed."

Seifer groaned as if annoyed just by the sound of her voice. "Hyne Rinoa, you're such a princess. Just calm down already. He hasn't been back since he sulked out of here an hour ago. It's just going to be you and me tonight, Babe."

That was the most unnerving thought to have ever made her shutter. Deploying emergency maneuvers of her own, Rinoa speedily took the door to the right and walked straight into the horrid humidity left by blonde's shower.

The harsh light flickered on gradually, revealing what possibly might be the smallest bathroom ever been built. The white pedestal sink bumped right into the glass shower. Rinoa examined the shower door and saw that it would open up onto the toilet if opened all the way. Was it functional? Yes, but it was clear that Seifer had a hard time fitting in the shower as much of the floor still had water on it.

Rinoa peered into the sink where his clothes had been washed and left in a heap in the basin. Scowling, she carefully picked up each article of clothing and rang it out best she could before throwing them on the empty towel hanger next to her. Her hand hesitated for a second before picking up his gray boxer briefs. Today was clearly the day she was going to be over flooded with useless information about Seifer. Letting out a sigh, she didn't bother ringing it out before throwing it on top of his other clothing.

She turned on the sink's hot water as a voice from behind her made her jump.

"Want my towel?"

Letting out a small scream, Rinoa spun around to see Seifer playfully leaning against the doorframe, with on arm extended above his head for support.

"No other towels?" Rinoa looked around and, of course, there wasn't. That would have been too much to ask from Hyne. "You just keep that…around yourself. I'll find something else."

Turning around, Rinoa came face to chest with the ex-knight. Oh, and was he amused by the torturous effect he had on her. She utterly hated herself for spending a moment longer than necessary looking at his pecks, but again there just was nowhere else to look.

"Move?" she asked, steeling herself as she closed her eyes.

No doubt Seifer had to be getting his kicks from this, but this was the last thing she needed right now. She braced herself for a second and then looked up into the green irises and challenged him to push her further. If he was this desperate to pick a fight with her then who was she to deny him?

"Better," he acknowledged. "I might even recognize you a bit. Yes, Rinoa Heartilly of the Forrest Owls. I do know you after all."

Those words, his intentional usage of the Forrest Owls… He was picking at the scab he had caused on an old wound left by him.

"Don't!" she shouted in anger with a finger in his face. "Don't pretend that you know anything about me, cause clearly you never did!"

He suddenly stopped smiling as he pondered her words for a moment to gather their real meaning. His eyes narrowed as he spoke matter of factly, "What does that mean, Heartilly? I'm the same person you met that summer in Timber. You still remember, don't you? You never responded when I asked you before-"

"Stop it!" She wanted to take a step back, but the pedestal to her back reminded her there was nowhere to run despite the fight or flight defense kicking in. His words evoked all of the pain he had caused over a year ago to come crashing in again. She was too tired to keep her emotions in check, and nothing would please her more than to tear him apart.

"That's what you said back then too back on the parade float," he said disappointed. "Why won't you just answer the damn question? Don't you remember what kind of team we made?"

"That-" She paused, painfully knowing she couldn't allow him to play with her head, he was far too good at it. "I don't know what that was back then. What happened between us…. The only thing I know is that you're not the same person I met back in Timber. Back then you could've convinced me of anything! You had the most inspiring soul, and the most courageous spirit I had ever met. And what you did for me that one summer? You opened my eyes to what was possible and helped me get to SeeD. You changed my life in a way I thought I could never repay, but then you sold out on yourself! You traded everything you worked for and betrayed me at every possible turn! I thought-"

She could feel the heat of her anger roll into her eyes in the form of tears that she refused to allow to come. Her voice weakened as she painfully admitted, "I thought I feel in love with you. Can you believe that? Can you believe how naïve I was? Trust me, when you tried to sacrifice me to Adel, I couldn't believe it either. You sold your soul, Seifer. So tell me, what did you get for it?"

A reaction was what Rinoa waited to see She wanted to see something in him that would tell her if he had any humanity left within him. Instead, Seifer remained like an impassive stone in front of her like he couldn't understand where her emotion was coming from.

"Four bullets to the chest," he finally replied with his eyes narrowing. "Or so I hear."

And there it was. Proof that the heartless man had never been what she imagined him to be. All of the feelings and emotions she had felt back that summer were ones she fabricated and tricked herself into believing. It hurt. It hurt so damn much, and she hated herself for caring at all about what this selfish man had to say.

"Four bullets wasn't enough." She cruelly threw at him. "Not when you compare it to what you did to me. I might not have a choice in how any of this goes down, but I don't believe you deserve a second chance at your dream. I must truly be twisted in the future to regret what happened to you because, in my book Seifer, no one is a bigger villain than you."

His face remained still, watching her casually in thought. Rinoa pushed by him using her shoulder.

Freed from his control, Rinoa saw an overlooked closet and quickly went to it, rummaging for clothing.

Everything hanging was covered in thin plastic protective covers protectors with the initials SL on the side. On the floor partially opened boxes held other clothes such as old sweatshirts and training gear. As Rinoa dug through the box, a familiar scent hit her like a ten-ton brick, immobilizing her.

It had been over a year since she last smelled it, and the flashback of the memory was enough to undo her. The last time she deeply inhaled it like this she was naked pressed up against him in his dormitory after the celebration. Her eyes had drifted open to find her face buried in the crook of Squall's neck. His taunt arms cradled around her nakedness as if guarding her against any harm that might find them. It was comforting not to be scared she thought as she nuzzled closer. His warmth radiated to her, keeping her body warm against the fan spinning up above them. It was in that moment of wakefulness that she prayed to Hyne she would never want to let him go. Rinoa lied there with that thought until her breath eventually matched his pace for pace.

Rinoa banished the unwanted emotions as she dug deeper into the box finding boxers and a white undershirt. She would have to roll the boxers a few times to ensure they stayed on her hips, but at least she wouldn't be stranded in the bathroom all night. She shoved all the rejects back into the box and stood up when something in the back corner caught her eye.

It was the soft white fur that highlighted its presence against the multiple uniforms that hung. Like a time capsule in an unfamiliar time, she gravitated towards it pulling it off its hanger. The black leather was a bit more worn now, but the bomber jacket brought her right back to where her focus needed to be.

Squall…

She lifted the leather jacket over her shoulders as the bed next to her creaked. Rinoa heard a towel drop to the floor and as Seifer crawled into bed with a groan. Rinoa winced. Not only did she know he was a boxer briefs kind of guy. She also now knew how he preferred to sleep.

Retching slightly, Rinoa stood up with new determination and turned towards the door leading to her freedom.

But before her fingers touched the door Seifer's voice called out, "You're willing to go out where hundreds of little toy soldiers are being trained to kill you?"

She didn't risk the chance of turning around in fear that she might lose what was left of her innocence.

"Are you going to try to stop me?" she probed. She could hear the squeals of the bedsprings underneath him as Seifer raised up.

"No. Don't go. Bad. Bad Rinoa," he called out empathetically.

She shook her head in amazement at the lack of caring.

"Do what you want," Seifer murmured. "You're the Sorceress who is capable of taking over the world… what's a few prepubescent future SeeDs?"

Frankly, it was the same mindset she was in so without waiting for further permission, Rinoa commanded the door to open.

Ooo000ooo

Getting out of the secured floor would be a challenge. It took Rinoa nearly an hour of studying each patrol's path to find which target was most likely bored with his shift and susceptible to a sleep spell she readied while waiting. The youngest SeeD was her best target. He was slower at punching in the codes allowing her to easily remember the code he punched in to disarm the lock. Casting quickly, Rinoa cast the spell before he even detected her present. Rinoa caught him haphazardly as he fell and dragged him to a bench. Rinoa had a little fun poising the guard hoping that others would think he had only

fell asleep on duty and celebrated her job well done.

The whole thing relied on her waiting for the right moment to gain the maximum amount of cover. She held her breath as she quickly hoisted the infamous jacket up around her head to obscure her image from a security camera. As she swiped the sleeping SeeD's badge and typed in his security code in, Rinoa hoped she had done this fast enough that she didn't attract any attention from whoever was tasked to watch the cameras.

Hustling in the direction of the emergency stairs, Rinoa knew it was too risky to use the lifts. One could only image a SeeD's expression upon stepping into the elevator containing the world's most dangerous sorceress.

Winding down the emergency stairwell, the sound of laughter filtered up from the flight below. Rinoa pulled back, preparing a blinding spell in case whoever was unlucky enough to cross her path came up at the wrong time. She waited patiently for a moment, but she realized the sound of laughter wasn't going anywhere. She peered over the railing to see two underclassmen mauling each other passionately.

Grumbling as to why they just didn't use the secret place for this, Rinoa had to take a second to formulate a plan on how to get past them. Using a stop spell wouldn't prevent them from seeing her, and a sleeping spell may cause alarm to the two students upon awakening. Rinoa couldn't risk them reporting anything alarming to their superiors. After going over each option twice, she decided there was only one option that appealed to her.

Rinoa slowly began to descend the stairs, but once in view she picked up the pace walking right by the young lovers. The boy's eyes flickered up for only a brief second, before dismissing Rinoa as one of their own, and not a faulty member. His hands hastily resumed their roaming on the cadet he was with, allowing Rinoa to breathe a sigh of relief.

Rinoa wasn't going to push her luck by continuing in the stairwell. She took the next set of doors which emptied into the deserted ballroom.

Everything about Balamb Garden seemed to have changed over time with the exception of this place. By Large, it appeared to be in the same pristine condition as it had been when she first arrived many years ago. Back then there was warmth held within it. Now, it there was a cold and empty feeling to it despite the hundreds of people housed nearby.

Rinoa's footsteps where the only sound in the ghostly room of her past. Looking up, she could see the stars that gazing down at her through the glass dome. Memories made her stop in the same position she had been on that fateful night. Standing alone like that made her feel as if a thousand years had passed since she had worn her little white party dress. That evening she anticipated a start of a new adventure but did not realize it all began with one glance in a particular direction.

Rinoa eyes drifted over her shoulder to a marble pillar hiding in the shadows. It was right there she had spotted handsome man lurking in the darkness by himself. He watched the party go by like it all had nothing to do with him. He was mesmerizing to watch, and she wondered what his story was? After all, he was a SeeD with a familiar looking scar, so it had to be a pretty good one. That was when she looked up to the heavens wondering if she should gather the courage to ask him herself or stay on task and wait for Seifer to give her the signal.

Her answer came as a shooting star. It caught her breath and smiled, confident it was a sign from Hyne. As fate would have it, the mysterious brunette had been looking up at the same sight she had. With that, she could no longer ignore the pull he had on her. Rinoa just had to speak with him and perhaps get him to dance with her. Even if for just a second, she wanted to be part of his story.

Rinoa looked down at the polished marble floor that time left untouched. She hadn't known it at the time, but that moment fate weaved their paths together in a complicated web that neither one could have foreseen. Knowing what he knew now, she wondered if Leonheart would have still taken her up on that dance.

Rinoa had to walk away from the haunted memories before they swept her away completely. She hurried herself towards the main doors until she noticed the door to the balcony had been propped open by a chair. Step by step, Rinoa made her way to the propped open door until an unexpected sight made her stop and laugh while wondering why fate was so cruel to her. Only one person was occupying the quietest place in Garden, and it didn't take Rinoa a second glance to know who that shadow belonged too.

Leonhart's arms supported much of him as he hunched over the balcony. His head was resting on a cellphone held in his right hand. Apparently he had found time to change, wearing black slacks and a gray tight fitted shirt. It was a much more dress down look, which suited him better than the rigid uniform he worse before. The uniform seemed to restrict him in ways it hadn't in her time. Out of them, his whole stance had relaxed and looked more at ease with itself. The only thing that made her hesitate from walking away was the troubled expression he wore.

So absorbed in his thoughts, Leonhardt didn't hear her approach from the wind generated by the moving garden. Or at least that's what she thought until she spotted a nearly empty bottle of Esthar's Top Shelf Whiskey.

It was a rare moment to witness, if not a bit disheartening. Granted he was a grown man beyond lecturing. It's just that she never pegged Squall as a drinker, but then again her time getting to know him was cut short. She never got the chance to know him on a deeper level. Twenty some years was long enough to change people too. Especially if one had a psychopathic ex-girlfriend trying to erase you off the face of the planet. Who was she to judge? She has certainly done a lot of things out of character since this ordeal has started.

Swooping forward, Rinoa grabbed the bottle from the ground beside him and pretended to read the label as if it interested her greatly.

She kept her tone completely casual as she deliberately refused to look at him. "Hey! I know this brand. It's from Esthar right? Some pretty good stuff!"

His eyes had just opened and looked over to her, but clearly he needed a minute to distinguish if what he was seeing was a vision or reality. The moment he made a decision to the latter, he pulled himself up quickly to gain some distance between them.

"Mind if I?" Rinoa feigned like she was going to wait for an answer before raising the bottle to her lips. The allowed the liquid to freefall took two large swallows before making a face.

It was like fireball exploded in her mouth and burned its way down melting her insides into nothing.

"Oh-!" She wiped her mouth in misery and started to cough uncontrollably. "This… this is not good. Ugh!"

She set the bottle down on the ground as the SeeD gazed back at her, clearly speechless by her actions. His eyes had gone from her to the bottle on the ground before he tried to figure out which of his complaints to address first, and apparently each one was vying for priority.

His steel eyes settled on his jacket with alarm. "What are you wearing?"

That made her laugh a bit, despite the turmoil churning through her stomach. The fact that her wardrobe beat every other possible question on his mind was an immense clue as to how intoxicated he was.

"You remember this, don't ya?" She modeled it slightly. " I Found it in the back of your closet. Actually, believe it or not, I've been wearing it for the past year on cold nights when I had to work at the bar. In my time, that brand of whiskey was expensive stuff. Smooth and warming... only my best customers ordered it."

Rinoa could see that he was not following so she let out a sigh. "Guess some things change over time, don't they?"

She waited for a moment before laughing nervously at the silence that followed. She had hoped for a reaction that would break the icy standoff that was developing between them, but instead Leonhart's eyes remained locked on her in confusion.

"Why are you talking about this?" he questioned.

She smiled sadly from the direction their conversation was turning. It was like starting over with him. He was back in his shell where he trusted and understood no one.

"Isn't it obvious?" She leaned against the stone balcony. "I'm too scared to talk to you about anything else. If I say the wrong thing, you'll just walk away from me again."

That seemed to trigger a response from the stonewall. His eyebrows drew together in thought as he looked down at the cell phone he was holding in his hands. Always withdrawing into his own world…into his own thoughts…letting no one in.

Rinoa permitted the silence to drift them apart while taking in the forlorn leader. She searched for the boy she used to know in the man he would become. Everything from his cheekbones to his jawlines followed sharper lines than it had been. Maybe the later was more pronounced by the light brown stubble that persisted there. Still, he thick rebellious mane, although now it was long enough to secure by a tie.

The stars seemed to reflect in his glass-like eyes that held his emotions at bay. The lightened scar that divided them was not so pronounced anymore. If the sun hadn't darkened him while out at sea, the lighter scar would mostly be obscure.

Rinoa felt a pang of disappointment in witnessing the sight. She risked missing so much and seeing the changes in her friends only reminded her what she stood to lose.

"You've changed," he stated quietly after a short moment of awkwardness.

It was a small sentence, but for them it was a massive jump forward. One Rinoa could appreciate. Despite being short, the tones of his words were of disappointment and laced with sadness. It was something other than anger and indifference. That was at least an emotion she could identify.

"And you're not the man I've been searching for. I've finally realized that now." She looked out to the sea before them. It was eerily quiet and still out there with only the occasional gusts of wind. "I'm not the same girl you remember either. His disappearance changed me. I had to do what was needed to find him. All of that has led me here to you…."

Leonhart eyes finally fell back to the sea.

"I'm not giving up on him," she spoke up. She wanted to clarify her position once and for all. "I couldn't do that to him. He has done nothing, but love and supported me when he could have easily left me to fend for myself. He doesn't deserve me abandoning him when he needs me the most and most importantly his mistakes are not yours yet."

"You have no idea what you're trying to commit too," he sighed, frustrated by her lack of understanding.

"Nope. Not really," she admitted. "It doesn't matter. From the sounds of it, even when I hurt you the most you never gave up on me. Not even when you should have, Leonhart. Why didn't you? You sacrificed yourself over and over again for my selfish whims. Everything you loved, you have forsaken, why? Because you felt obligated? Because of a stupid promise you made when you were seventeen?"

She looked at his face as the lines in his forehead deepened in thought.

Rinoa continued, "You had to have known this wasn't what I wanted; for you to turn away from the world like this? Away from your friends? And then you turned to your worst enemy for help instead of us?"

"There are reasons why I picked him." He surprised her by standing firm on that.

"Because you don't want to change the future," She cut him off dismissively, knowing the answers. "I don't get that. Why you wouldn't want to change this from happening. We could change this! We could be happy-"

That's when she had to catch herself. That is what she wants, she recognized. Her mind went back to the conversation she had with Lani on the ship. She started to curse herself, as she looked down into her hands trying to keep her emotions out of this as much as possible. She doesn't know this man next to her. Despite him sounding, smelling, and looking like Squall, he was very different. Rinoa didn't even know if a different future with her appealed to him anymore. Maybe, the damage ran too long and too deep.

"I just meant it never had to go down this way," she restated solemnly. "Our friends would've come to your aide, even against me."

"You think so?" Squall balked.

"Know so." She knew they would do whatever was right. "I don't even know how you can trust Seifer after everything he did to us. Aren't you afraid he will betray you again?"

Squall frowned and looked to her. His eyes seemed to question why she would think like that and then suddenly an epiphany seemed to come over him.

"I keep forgetting you're eighteen," he whispered looking out to sea.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He postures changed as he looked at her. It made Rinoa's heart skip a beat as the reaction was something she had seen many times in Squall before.

"You're still so young, Rinoa. I don't expect you to understand all of this. when it took most of my life to figure it out for myself."

She groaned. Was he really bringing age up? The mighty old Leonhart had some privy insight she was still too immature to understand yet. That was rich.

"Ok, then here is your chance, old man. Enlighten me." Rinoa crossed her arms.

"We we're kids, Rinoa. We fought a war that was beyond anything we could process." He shook his head looking up at the stars that filled his steel eyes with so much regret that it took her back a bit to see it. He then whispered more to himself then to her, "When you're older, things stop being so black and white."

"You're telling me what Seifer did wasn't black or white? You think what he did was justifiable? That he is worthy of your trust and a second chance over your friends?" She couldn't follow that. Not after being sacrifice to Adel and most certainly not after witnessing the dreams that followed Squall in his sleep.

"This is not a matter of who I trust more," Leonhart challenged.

"Really?" She looked at him leaning to one side in disbelief. Leonhart suddenly shot her a looking as if asking her if he should just stop. She slowly had to take a step back and give him the floor, even though she really wanted to fight the notion tooth and nail.

"I don't wish to change the past, but that wasn't the only reason I picked him. Primarily I chose him over all of you because he is the one who understands what is happening the most. He understands everything I am going through because he had gone through it himself."

Rinoa pressed her lips together, waiting for him to go on, but it took a moment for the brunette to formulate his next thought into coherent words.

"It stopped being so black and white when I realized I would've done the same thing if I had been in his position." He looked at her waiting for a reaction. "I've done the same. I've turned on everyone. I stood by as I watched everyone close to me hurt because of you. And If I had to, I would do it all again."

Leonhart turned away suddenly flustered and wanting to flee the conversation, but he stopped himself before he enacted on it; a change from the Squall of her time most certainly.

"Unlike him I got out before it was too late. I have a chance at redeeming my legacy while my head is clear, but he didn't. We stood by and watched his death, not understanding what had happened because we were too young. I can't change that from happening, but I can give him a second chance at redemption."

"That's the difference though, isn't it?" Rinoa looked at him. "You eventually saw what was happening and got out. He didn't. A few hours ago he told me he wasn't under some spell. He doesn't have any remorse from what I see."

Leonhart turned back towards her for a second nearly scoffing at her, "He's nineteen. I don't know many male teenager who would directly admit that they were wrong."

She didn't buy it as she replied, "You think he is sorry?"

Leonhart looked back at her, suddenly quiet with hesitance.

"That is what I'm talking about, no one can understand what we've gone through except the two of us."

Leonhart looked down to the floor as he leaned to the right. "The only way I can explain it is that even now, after everything that has happened, a part of me still wants to return to you. Deep down I want to do what feels right to me, and that is be next to you through it all no matter what. I think it's the knight connection I can never abandon that keeps pulling me back. It was the same for him."

Those words, knight connection, they silenced her better than any spell. Was that all they were? Was there some unseen force that was binding them together even if it meant to destroy one of them in the process? She didn't feel that way, but now she wondered about Squall.

"He has many regrets Rinoa," Leonhart spoke as he looked at her. "That much I know."

Was he expecting her to forgive him? A part of her wanted to lash out at him asking if he forgot all about Adel, but it was clear that he would come back with the same response that she couldn't argue with. A knight's connection? Could that part override free will and morals? The question was how strong was this connection, and how much could it change a person? She couldn't be sure, but she was skeptical of the whole thing.

"If I asked you myself, would you go back to your time?" he questioned, not looking at her.

"No," she stated firmly as his eyes went up to meet hers.

"What if I begged you? If I got down on my knees right here in front of you and begged? Would you have any mercy on me and leave?"

She didn't need to think to respond as she shook her head. He swallowed his disappointment thickly.

"I'm too deep into this already," she commented as if that would lighten his load. He didn't respond to her and for a moment as concern started to creep in that he would be shutting down on her once more.

"You could still leave," he muttered, apparently angered by her refusal.

"How could I just leave? Even if I went back, there are people targeting me to drag me right back-"

"Seifer can handle it."

"I can't just wait hoping that somehow you return to my life!" she shouted at him. Why couldn't he understand this? "This is all my fault and I can't walk away from all of it. Let me help make this right or-"

"Or what Rinoa?" Squall looked at her exhausted and called her bluff.

The sudden gust of wind tore his hair wildly apart as he watched her over his shoulder. His eyes bore into hers relentlessly as if trying to pin her down into submission.

Standing her ground against the former commander, she boldly replied, "Even if it means my life…I'll bring you back that way."

His eyes widened at what her message contained.

"It would work wouldn't it? Might be the best plan in the end. If I'm dead, none of this would have ever happened."

"Stop it," he growled, his temper flaring as his fist tightened.

"It means I would've never had the chance to hurt Quistis, my father would be alive, the world would be saved-"

"Damn it STOP!" he shouted at her.

"And most importantly you would still be here!" She ignored him, as she looked the unraveling man in the eye, unafraid of his temper. "It's the most practical plan of all! It was a mistake not sending me off into space when we had the-"

"DAMN IT RINOA!" He cursed taking her by the shoulders. "Don't you think we thought of that already? We've taken that off the table! That's not an option!"

"This is MY life Leonheart!" she shouted back at him. "Do you think I want to wake up every day wondering if today is the day I lose my mind?"

His jaw tightened as he realized she was partially right. "At least you would wake up. That means something doesn't it?"

Rinoa withdrew studying his desperation in confusion.

"I don't know," she whispered honestly.

"There is no way you could understand." Exhausted, he let her go. "It wasn't all bad. I never thought freeing you from the Sorceress Memorial was a mistake. Not even now."

Rinoa watched him as he slowly stepped away from her, trying to collect himself. A part of her wanted to laugh as she realized this was the first fight and subsequent shouting match the couple had ever had. Their relationship had always been challenged by time and impossible odds. Here again it seemed like they could never catch a break. It was clear that he was just as unsettled about the clash as she was. His long brown hair fell in front of his steel eyes, as he surely reflected back on his words.

"Ok, fine," he said dryly. "I see there is no reasoning with you about this. Just please, take that off the table."

She wanted to do that for him, especially the way he was silently pleading with her from beneath the strands of wild hair. "I can't remove it as an option. But it can be plan B-"

"No," he out right rejected.

"Well you better come up with a good plan B and C then," she dryly joked, but all of her sense of humor had left with her anger. She was feeling spent from all the circles she had been going around today.

He stood there staring off into space for a moment, as always; he seemed most comfortable in the silence.

"Just take it off the table. I'll find another way," he assured with resolve. His voice was low and gravelly from the exhaustion he was feeling.

"After all I have done to you," she began. "You'd still keep the past the same if you could?"

He looked away, uncomfortable as every muscle in his body went ridged. Rinoa could read that body language well, as the Squall of her time often made the same motion when he was done talking about something. She swallowed the hope for answers and licked her dry lips. She knew she had overstayed her welcome.

"Well I guess I should…," she trailed off. She motioned her head towards the door slightly as the knight still refused to look at her. "Are you going to come back?"

"I'm expected somewhere else," he stated flatly without much thought.

"Oh." Rinoa started to nod as merely a shocked reaction. "Yeah, of course."

He looked up and froze when he realized what her conclusion was. It seemed like both of them knew exactly where he was expected to be and with whom. The idea appeared to paralyze Leonheart into place.

"Right ok, well, I'm just going to…go" Turning on her heels, she pulled his leather jacket tighter around herself, hoping to escape from the horrifying moment as fast as possible.

His reaction kept replaying over and over again in her mind as she made her way through the quiet ballroom. He had moved on. She knew of this, so why would she be surprised that he would be staying with her tonight?

Oh, who was she kidding? It was one hell of a blow that she couldn't be freed from. Pretending not to be surprised was like trying to pretend there wasn't a twisting knife in your chest. She wasn't fine. How could she be? She was just praying to Hyne that she could make it far enough away before the gut-wrenching pain became audible.

"Rinoa!"

The echoing of his voice made her stop against her will when there was nothing more she wanted than to get out of there while she still had some dignity left.

"Yeah?" she called back, blinking away the tears before she turned to him with the calmest appearance she could muster, but his face dropped proving it was all in vain.

He had followed her into the ballroom, and now the two of them stared at each other speechlessly. She waited for him to say something to her, but whatever he had wanted to say suddenly seemed to have left him.

"Leonheart I still can't read your mind. I'm a Sorceress...not a mind reader," she complained, holding back the tears.

"The reason…" Leonhart looked at her lost. "The reason that can't be on the table …"

Suddenly there was a long silence between them as she waited patiently for him to continue.

"Because?" she tried to help him out.

"I still care about you."

Rinoa frowned as she watched the former 'love of her life' choke under the pressure of whatever it was he actually wanted to say. She could see the frustration building in him, as he just wanted her to understand what he meant by that. The problem was… she just didn't. She looked down and gave him a small nod despite being confused. Caring had many different levels of meaning, and she wasn't entirely sure if he was referring to that knight's connection he had mentioned before, or something more. She watched as he lowered his gaze slightly and started to walk away back towards the main lobby of the ballroom.

"Leonhart!" her voice echoed in the empty hall prompting him to turn back towards her.

"It's off the table. So long as we do this together," her voice called out.

There was a moment where he did nothing but look back at her as if a visible weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Slowly he nodded in agreement and proceeded on his own path.

She wasn't as quick to turn away this time, as she watched the former commander disappeared. Her mind was clicking away at the words that had been exchanged that night, trying to draw a connection through all of them. But again she still had no further insight into the mysterious mercenary's story as the day she had first met him. Rinoa looked up through the dome once more, looking for a sign that could guide her, but instead she saw storm clouds rolling in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter coming in a few days! But until then, give me a review! Reviews have been scientifically proven to make fanfic writers write new chapters faster.


	8. Chapter 8: A Light to Guide You

ooo000ooo

Chapter 8: A Light to Guide You

ooo000ooo

There was nothing in front of her.

Yet, she could smell the fresh wave of Centra's wildflowers in the bitter cold wind.

It was a dream. Everything she was feeling was a trick from the deepest, cruelest part of her mind. But… she wanted to believe the touch of the frost nipping at her cheeks causing them to flush a bright crimson, was real. She wanted to believe in the sensation that the small flowers sent as their petals her skin. But the pit of her stomach sat with a hollowed feeling, telling her not to trust the illusion her mind was willing to subject her too.

There is nothing there. Not really.

The taste of the sea air in her mouth had been fabricated from loose memories. The security of the uneven ground beneath her was all a lie attempting to deceive her into opening her eyes.

You're not awake.

A soft light filtered through the darkness as she opened her eyes to what her heart wanted most. The pastures of the deserted Isles that would forever be their home engulfed her. An individual stood on the edge of a cliff staring into the dying sunlight before him.

Don't be fooled by this!

The crashing of the waves and the roar of the wind was the only sound in their solitude. Her uneasy steps through the terrain were too silent, increasing the deepening hopelessness she felt.

Wake up!

Waves of short brown hair flew wildly in the wind as he watched the sea roll in. The thin white shirt offered no protection to the figure as he stood in the embattle crosswinds waiting for orders that would never come. Catching the sun's light, The Griever necklace that hung around the soldier's neck caught the sunlight illuminating it.

It was strange. If this was not real, how come she could sense his soul searching for hers?

There is nothing in front of you!

She wanted to believe with all her heart that he would turn to her when she screamed out his name. After all, he had promised to be waiting there if she came. If she came her looking for him, she would find him, wouldn't she?

Her feet started to carry her now, faster than her mind could question. She let the flowers release to the wind, twisting around her as she called out and reached for him. He would answer. He had to. He had sworn to.

Even if it's just a dream?

His head lifted as if the wind had finally issued him an order to awaken. His head turned towards her and for a brief moment the heart in her chest stopped beating.

Then her world came crashing down around her.

Leonheart.

The hardened expressionless face that had turned to her was not the one she expected to see. Withered by the trials of waiting for her, he stood with stone eyes, soulless- heartless. His longer hair waved wildly in the wind as she halted before him, strangely not out of breath. In fact, she couldn't breathe.

His eyes slowly poured over her with grief as his lips spread to speak. Unfortunately, his words were stolen away by the wind that dared to separate them. His face fell into a stoic look as though he realized the false world around them was against them. His brow furrowed into his faded scar as he started to close the span that divided them, with his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans for shelter.

The unkempt face of her former lover divulged nothing to her, which was expected considering the years he had to perfect it. By now he was so experienced at wearing it, it had become a shield. A rugged, handsome shield for a damaged soul. How cruel was time for manipulating them this way? It took something so dignified, so breathtaking and left nothing in its wake but an empty shell.

His fingers traveled to her face, catching a few fly away strands and tucked them behind her ear as he inched closer to her.

Looking down at her, she could almost see the intense agitation hidden in his eyes, as they tried to impart a message to her. Some meaning became lost in translation, and his jaw tensed in irritation.

Then his lips moved once more, but not for words. They came for her.

ooo000ooo

A door slamming shut jolted Rinoa awake as the room around her became claustrophobic once more. The presence of uninvited guests began to file in as her heart battered against her ribs. Disoriented and confused, she tried to recall what had left her in this condition, but longer she tried to remember the further her dreams faded away. She almost wanted to try to fall asleep on the lumpy couch again to retain some memory of it, but it was clear that the people were not planning to leave until she acknowledged their presence.

She rolled over to see Quistis staring down at her with a vexed expression. That only meant more trouble was on the horizon.

Not good.

Rinoa groggily pulled herself up into a sitting position as she studied the man behind Quistis with partial recognition.

"Nida?" she called out dreary eyed.

Her vision was still hazy, but she swore that the man standing next to Quistis was none other than Garden's chief navigational officer himself. Time could change many things, but Nida's handsome and youthful appearance still served him well.

"Sorceress," he answered. His voice was like a cold splash of water to her face causing her to look down at the laptop he held playing a security feed.

The video looked as if it had been taken by mistake. The movements were clunky and shaky at best, often focusing down on grey-carpeted flooring. Whoever had taken it clearly had no idea how to operate the camera or didn't know they were videotaping-

OH.

It was like a thundara had been casted, finally illuminating her slow thought process. She violently tried to swallow her pride upon recognizing the SeeD in the video. She saw him under a sleep spell slumped over, and the fumbling idiot in the video celebrating her victory at not being caught.

Looking down, she found a thin black sticker attached to the right pocket. Peeling it off, she raised the camera up in amazement.

"That's incredible," She mused, her voice still heavy from sleep as she admired the smallest camera device she had ever seen.

A frustrated voice growled out from the bed beside her, "For real Heartilly? You don't even notice when a camera is planted on you?"

Quistis took it upon herself to remark, "Toy soldiers, Almasy? Is that all you consider these children?" She clearly had overheard their parting conversation when Rinoa decided to take her freedom into her own hands.

The gravity of the situation was growing by the second as the video feed continued to show her encountering the hormonal teenagers in the stairwell.

She wasn't sure if she wanted the answer, but she had to ask.

"How much was filmed?"

"All of it," Nida replied in short.

Rinoa's eyes widened remembering her encounter with an inebriated Leonheart, "Oh, that's embarrassing."

"Do I get to watch?" Seifer's voice suddenly perked up.

"NO," All three voices shouted back in unison.

She pulled herself up knowing she had to do some serious into damage control.

Nida went right for the jugular making her flinch. "Is this how you repay us for sticking our necks out on the line for you? You attacked one of our own!"

"What? No-! I mean, it wasn't like that-" Rinoa tried but was interrupted when Nida slammed the computer shut, continuing as if she had never spoken.

"Using magic on anyone outside of sanctioned classes is considered an attack! We have treated you with more respect than you deserved. You have no business being here after what you have done to us."

"Oh, piss off Nida…," Seifer now become interested in the drama unfolding by sitting up in his bed. It was Quistis who glanced over at Seifer with a warning not to get involved.

Those words brought the reality of her actions. He was right in the fact that garden protocol forbids any magic to be casted against another outside of a structured sanctioned class. The weight of his words finally struck home.

Had she blown her one and only shot at trust already? She had only just gotten Leonheart to agree in letting her assist them. Had she blown her one and only shot at trust already?

Rinoa regrouped trying to smooth things over. "Listen, I didn't intend to hurt anyone-"

"More excuses from you," Nida exclaimed, frustrated with her. " What were you planning on doing if someone had tried to stop you? Would you have fought them?"

"No!" Rinoa shouted, but she knew that wasn't exactly the truth. The truth was she was just planning on not getting caught, which, in hindsight, now seemed childish and not very practical.

What would she have done had those students recognized her? She probably would've used status spells to escape.

Rinoa looked down, grasping the point he was making. A status spell was considered an attack, so yes she would have.

Nida's eyes casted judgment down at her. "Heartilly, maybe some people are thrilled that you've come here to clean up your mess, but I for one would've rather not seen your face ever again. Neither would these children, who might I add, are mostly orphans because of the wars you have started. If you can't respect your old team's wishes, then at least respect these kids. They don't need your face haunting them in the only place that feels safe."

A silence was casted over the room as Nida waited for a response, but instead Rinoa hung her head while the power of his words grew deeper.

"You can go, Nida," Quistis excused him, which he was clearly thankful for as he tore out of the room letting the door slam behind him.

Seifer raised an eyebrow as he marveled at the situation, "Bit much?"

"Delivery maybe," Quistis explained as she kept her eyes on Rinoa, "but the message was spot on."

Rinoa looked up to her friend, "He's right. I didn't think about any of that when I left. I'm so sorry Quistis."

Quistis turned away, exhaling her frustration. "This is the reality you are going to have to face now Rinoa. Not everyone is as sympathetic to your situation as us."

Rinoa nodded in understanding. She was going to pay the price for her future self over and over again. She couldn't afford to be impulsive anymore. It was time she acknowledged that there would always be a large target on her back.

"I understand now. I'm sorry for my ignorance," Rinoa once more apologized.

Quistis gave her a compassionate nod as her eyes floated towards Seifer and then did a double take, "Please tell me you're not naked under there."

Seifer tilted his head marginally. "Want to find out Instructor?"

"Ew," Rinoa grimaced as she shook her head, unable to escape the contaminated knowledge she had on that situation.

"Pass," Quistis stated calmly, "My preference is for men not boys."

Spurned, Seifer raised his hands in defense, "I'm only two months younger than you!"

"Not from where I stand," Quistis countered looking back to Rinoa. "I left a some essentials for your departure. We dock near Esthar within the hour. A team will come to escort you off the premises, understand?"

"Yes, and again, thank you for everything," Rinoa looked up to her friend hoping that she would truly understand how grateful she was, despite her recent escapades.

"What nothing for me?" Seifer asked, feigning hurt feelings as Quistis failed to acknowledge him on the way to the door.

"No more incidents," she reminded them as if they were children.

Rinoa wasted no time in getting up to retrieve the black backpack. Swinging it over her shoulder, she headed straight to the bathroom where she placed it on the pedestal sink.

She was relieved to see the bundle of spare clothing and other basic mission supplies carefully tucked away. The first thing she removed from the bag was a thin leather book that she nearly tossed aside before taking a second glance.

Upon opening it, she recognized it as a residential passport from the country of Esthar. The girl the passport belonged too had long black hair, but any other similarities to Rinoa stopped there.

Holding the passport in hand, she couldn't help but wonder if Laguna would welcome her into his home anymore. He had always been so warm and kind to her in the past, but in this time she was the cause of his separation from his only son. She could no longer be certain of his hospitality.

Setting the booklet aside, she continued to dig. Several ration packages, sunscreen, a prefilled water canteen, underwear, a white breathable tank top and black leggings made of fabric she had never seen before. Lightweight yet thin, she raised it to the light and noted nothing could come through. Most likely it was sun proof and waterproof. The final item was a long white robe.

Traditionally, they were worn by the Estharian people to protect their clothing from the frequent sandstorms, but to Rinoa it was just a complete fashion no-no. Then again, if she wanted to be one of them she had to look the part. There was nothing more she could do other than grin and bear it.

After stuffing everything back in the backpack, she turned to look at the freakishly small shower.

The idea of a hot, strong, hot shower was enough to make her weep. Turning to the door, she realized there was no lock to ensure her privacy. Standing there staring for a brief moment Rinoa let out an exasperated laughed.

Go figure, a room on the most secure floor of the most secured Garden doesn't have a lock.

Stripping of her dirty clothes, she turned on the shower and jumped beneath its spray, allowing the scalding water to soak her hair.

It was amazing what a little soap and water could do on the soul. Her body melted into the relaxation this moment of piece awarded her, know the road ahead of her was going to be anything but restful.

Unexpectedly, amidst cleansing the door opened prompting Rinoa to jump and scream in reaction. Wrapping her arms around her body, she hazardously slid down the shower's wall in a last bid for concealment. While the glass had fogged to a degree, it was not impossible to see the shadowy figure outside lift the toilet seat up.

While trying to stay covered, Rinoa shouted with acid in her voice, "Seifer!"

"What?" he questioned, over the sound of shower's torrential downpour.

"GET OUT!" she shrieked out.

"Have to take a piss. You're taking too long," he barked groggily as the sound of him relieving himself proved once and for all he wouldn't be going anywhere.

Giving up, Rinoa rested her head on her knees, waiting for the hellish situation to end.

Ooo000ooo

The first time she had arrived in Esthar it had been the most humbling experience of her life- up until now. Being they no longer felt the need to hide behind large protective shields the mammoth city was left unveiled for the entire world to see. Rinoa couldn't pull herself away from the dizzying new heights. As the sun moved across the barren landscape, glass panels on the skyscrapers shifted from hues of blueish green to nearly a reflective black. It was apparent that most of the cities energy came from the unforgiving sun that was beating down on her. While the futuristic city had been impressive back when first had seen it, nothing could have prepared for how it would grow. Not only had the city expanded two folds, but it also had expanded upwards into the sky with multi-level streets allowing for congestion relief.

Security, however, had strengthened significantly due to this fact and stressed the importance of the passport SeeD she held in her hand.

Rinoa walked past ten or fifteen lines where hundreds of people were waiting in the desert sun trying to fan themselves against the dreadful heat wave that captured the country. Immigrants and visitors alike awaited attempting to obtain visas for entry. Just to get to this point, they all had faced vigorous lab tests, background security checks, and interrogation before an application would even be contemplated. It was clear that most of these people waited for hours- some even days just to have a chance of securing a work visa. Although, that shouldn't be surprising give that Esthar was likely one of the safest places for those looking fo refuge from the war outside its wall.

"There is another line for SeeDs, thankfully," Lani spoke as she walked beside Rinoa.

Rinoa turned to see Lani dressed down in black leggings and a white tank top that clung to her well toned athletic body. One leather belt hugged her curves with a SeeD emblem proudly displaying on its front. Completing the ensemble was black military boots that adorned her feet. They were so heavy that they looked as if they could have broken a few toes with a wrong step.

Rinoa looked away, trying to focus on anything other than how ridiculous she felt standing next to the beauty. It was pety, but no girl enjoyed feeling like a fluffy glob of a marshmallow.

Rinoa tried to remind herself that this was a cover and not a game. Her only goal here was to be useful to her team, save Squall, and then get the hell back to her own time that would be far away from the temptress.

Yeah, ok, she really was immature.

"Where's Seifer?" Rinoa asked trying to get her mind away from feeling inferior.

Lani dug around in her black bag, "With Squall in the VIP line. A dead man doesn't exactly qualify as a VIP in my opinion, but the only opinion that matters doesn't seem to agree with my solution of leaving him out in the desert to rot."

Rinoa smile quirked up for a brief second betraying herself, Rinoa's smile quirked up for a half a second before being repressed.

Ugh! She wanted to hate this woman, but it was difficult when they had a mutual hatred for a certain psychotic ex-knight.

"So they are in the VIP line, and the rest of you are in the SeeD line, leaving me to go on alone," She questioned. There was so much wrong with this plan that she wanted to find Leonhart and ring his neck.

"Not alone," Lani held up a passport while waving it back and forth. "I'm from Esthar."

"Oh. That's great." Now Rinoa really wanted to ring Leonhart's neck.

Rinoa gave her an apprehensive smile before following her to the first line reserved only for the residence of the colossal city. Only then did Rinoa notice the sheathed gunblade on her back.

"You're a gunblade expert?" Rinoa asked in surprise.

Lani turned around startled.

"Yes. Top of my class in fact. After the second sorceress war, gunblades became popular once more in all three gardens." She hesitated for a second before looking away. "That's how I met Leonhart. I was his student."

Rinoa raised an eyebrow as the line started to move. "Leonhart taught?"

Lani didn't look at her as she shook her head. "No, I was the only one. Hand selected."

Allowing the conversation to end, Rinoa internalized the information as she followed the white SeeD in front of her. Not only was she a gunblade expert, she was on par with Leonhart in every way.

What wasn't there to like about her? She was a young, beautiful, intelligent, professional, and a soldier willing to take orders. By definition, she was everything Rinoa was not.

Well, she was technically younger. So much so, it seemed like jailbait.

Rinoa watched the line next to her as the passports were scanned, and a green light glowed in acceptance. She tried to remain calm, but the butterflies in her stomach weren't supporting her case. She hoped her passport was valid because it was far too late to come up with a plan B now.

Sarvis handed over her passport to the guard, which took Rinoa a few seconds to realize was robotic. It scanned the booklet, and the machine looked up alerted by something.

"You contain a weapon," It stated flatly in an automated tone. "A Class A weapon permit is required."

"Right here," Lani announced, swiping a black, unadorned card through a reader.

"Please look into the retina scanner and provide your index finger for a DNA withdrawal."

Sarvis smiled into the camera knowing someone was watching her from an undisclosed location. Lowering herself down to the robot's level, it scanned her eyes while simultaneously taking a blood sample from the offered finger.

A few seconds had passed before a glowing green light appeared on a digital screen, and the gates opened for her to move on.

Rinoa tried not to present her intimidation by the unnatural gatekeeper when handing over her passport. The machine performed its duty, and swiftly the green light allowing her to walk through the cities gates.

It took Rinoa several steps in before willing to breath a sigh of relief.

"Mind if I get that back?" Lani requested, laying her hand flat out. "My sister would kill me if I lost it."

"This is your sister?" Rinoa had plenty doubts about that as she handed it over.

"This belongs to my step-sister." She explained. "I come from a large typical Estharian family. I've got three brothers, two sisters, and one stepsister. None of my biological sisters would look enough like you if you were stopped, but Sarai is fair enough to be plausible."

Another thing Rinoa had nothing to compare too. Sarvis came from a big family. Her attractive qualities were endless.

Rinoa let out a sigh, "Thank you for the loan."

"Our ride is waiting up there," Lani pointed ahead.

Three black crafts waited on the side of a busy street.

The sleek design was what one would expect from such an advanced city. The city had factored in the usefulness of an aerodynamic space saving design and fuel-saving configuration by build their cars with sleek lines and compact accommodations. Three people at most could be transported in the completely autonomous vehicle.

As soon as the door locked them in, the awkward silence spread as neither one of them knew what to say to the other beyond the basic pleasantries. Lani seemed comfortable enough with the awkwardness while Rinoa felt stifled.

"Is Laguna still president or has he retired?" Rinoa asked, watching the glass skyscrapers pass by at unsettling speeds. It was only when the silence dragged on too long that she turned to the speechless SeeD.

"What?" Rinoa questioned her unsteady look.

Lani looked away from Rinoa and finally registered an expression that spoke of how apprehensive she was.

"I am not sure how to answer that. I thought most of the basics would have been covered."

Lani seemed almost irritated now, which only made her concern grow.

Fear struck like white lightening.

"Laguna.… He's not.…" Rinoa stared at her, not even wanting to tread on the possibility that had infiltrated her mind.

With professionalism only befitting a SeeD, Lani delivered the most heartless, unemotional, disconnected declaration.

"As the entire world knows, Laguna Lorie, our first president, died six years ago from natural causes."

Rinoa blinked a few times as her brain raced to catch up to the meaning behind her words.

"Oh Hyne, no," she whimpered, as her heart sunk making the SeeD next to her uncomfortable.

That was another trait that separated them. Rinoa was the type of person loved and felt deeply. If that were a desirable trait in the Leonhart's book, she wouldn't know, but it was in hers'. She would never be ashamed the raw and human emotions she displayed.

"I just didn't see that. I mean no one even thought to mention…." A small sob got stuck on its way out.

Lani only gave a curt nod before turning away allowing Rinoa to feign privacy as she pulled herself through the pain. No matter what she did, the silent tears continued to come forward relentlessly.

The longer she sat there in silence, the more she thought about Laguna Loire's troubled expression as she described his missing son to him. The compassion he had shown her and undying loyalty was something she could never forget.

In her timeline, Squall had done little to acknowledge that there might be more than political ties between them. She knew the truth of course, but he had disappeared from her life before they had the chance to work the pieces out. She had hoped that discovering he wasn't alone in the world would have had some effect on him, and not in a negative way.

Questions loomed as Rinoa looked over to Lani. She had to have known they were related, right?

"Did they ever have a relationship?" Rinoa asked.

There was no need to explain more than that. If Lani knew about their status, then it would make sense to her.

Sarvis hesitated, wondering if that information was classified but seemed to come to the conclusion there was no reason not to disclose the truth.

"Not, right away. That was a hard road for both of them, but in the end it was public knowledge that they were father and son. After Squall had denounced you, he was granted citizenship, but by then the president's health was failing."

Rinoa couldn't help but reflect back to Laguna in his khakis pants, and sky blue button up shirt. She would never forget the sweet sadness of not knowing what fate had fallen onto his forgotten loved one.

Rinoa knew that sadness well.

ooo000ooo

Pulling up to the Presidential Palace was like pulling up to an international affair. Every street had been blocked off by robotic militia and barricades were erected ensuring no free press would see the raven-haired sorceress being escorted into the presidential palace.

Rinoa's heart raced as Lani flanked her side while walking down a strangely vacant hallway.

"Yo," Seifer greeted as he suddenly walked out into the hallway, carrying coffee in his hand.

Smelling its sweet aroma made Rinoa consider if it was worth putting down her pride and be nice to him for that cup.

She had thought about it for a split second before she laughed out loud.

Nope, not even with coffee as a bribe.

"Where am I going?" she questioned while trying not to lust over his coffee.

His lips sunk into his cup as he mumbled, "Ellone's office."

"Ellone?" That was certainly a surprise. Again no one thought to fill her in on that succession?

Seifer looked up at Lani annoyed, "Hell, you just didn't bother telling her anything?"

"Not my place. Why didn't you?" Lani asked with a glare Rinoa struggled to interpret.

Seifer didn't have time to answer her as shouting erupted down the hallway.

The group looked at each other before taking off down the hallway towards the president's door. What they found was Leonhart and Ellone in each other's face with what looked to be a heated exchange.

"I don't care what anyone else thinks! You have NO RIGHT to bring her here!" Ellone screamed.

"DAMN IT EllONE! I'm just as scared of her -!" Squall was interrupted when Lani quickly cleared her throat. It was so unnaturally loud that the two siblings turned at once.

"Leader." Lani tried to cover.

Squall turned away pinching the bridge of his nose feeling drained.

Lani turned to salute her president. "President Llewellyn."

Ellone's eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed at the newcomers for a second before turning away to find her composure. When Squall turned back, he had a calm expression on that fooled no one.

"Please, sit down," Ellone mumbled trying reinforce her nerves.

First, Rinoa would have to remember how to walk. It was like her body froze to the ground at the sight of the two going at each other. Without a doubt, it was over her presence.

Seifer had no difficulty walking in and helping himself to a chair oblivious to the tension holding the room hostage. He took a few loud sips of his hot coffee like this was just another day in the Leonhart household.

Lani remained by Rinoa's side until her courage returned granting her permission to find the seat next to Seifer.

Leonhart's eyes remained transfixed on to Ellone, who still hadn't looked to her guests.

Careful to keep her eyes away from Rinoa, Ellone started the meeting. "My apologies for what you walked in on. That was personal, and I promise only professionalism from here on out."

Rinoa remained silent with a heavy weight on her pressing down on her shoulders. Ellone wouldn't even look at her causing the guilt she felt to come crashing down.

Ellone's dark brown hair was shoulder length now and cut into layers that framed her delicate heart shaped face. Despite that, her age seemed as young as she had last seen her. The ageless beauty picked up a pen and sat down at her desk to write on her electronic notepad.

"You came her with a proposal?" Ellone probed.

One that apparently wasn't going well, Rinoa swallowed.

"We need Esthar's support," Leonhart updated her. His cold stone gaze held on to its prisoner. "Your personal objections have been noted, but you can't ignore the great advantage we have in this recent arrangement."

Ellone stayed silent as Rinoa looked to her left hand where a beautiful diamond perched on a simple gold band. Behind her desk, pictures of differently family events were proudly displayed in regal frames. No doubt the man dressed in Esthar's military uniform had to be Ellone's husband. His darker complexion and somber brown eyes had been inherited by her boys. The next few photos were of the two little boys who grinned with identical smiles while eating a messy treat.

Rinoa nearly smiled seeing a photo of her wedding until she spotted herself amongst the bridesmaid. She wore a long lavender dress with a perfected smile. Rinoa quickly found Squall, who stood behind the groom with a slightly pained appearance in his SeeD military outfit.

It was like looking at a picture she had taken yesterday. Given the fact that Squall had his SeeD uniform it couldn't be more than a year after Ultimecia.

Next to that photo, was a black and white picture of Laguna holding two little bundles with tears of joy brimming his eyes.

"Rinoa."

Rinoa's attention snapped back like a rubber band as everyone's eyes were on her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized in a daze. Today was just full of apologies. "I was… distracted."

Squall's eyes flickered up to the wall of photos rapidly, looking at every photo on the wall.

After a second, he let out a frustrated sigh and turned his attention back to where it belonged, "The goal would be to bring all gardens back together in a new treaty with Esthar. Align all of our resources at once, and delivering a blow to the Galbadian army."

"It's nothing more than a distraction," Lani clarified. "We need to spread their army and resources thin, to find where they are the weakest. That will be the way into the country."

"Once we penetrate their security, we will need some insiders to get us through to her."

Rinoa finally found a reason to speak up, "Do we have such people?"

It was the first time Ellone's morose eyes looked to Rinoa but self-corrected themselves instantly.

Leonhart nodded. "Yes, we have various people in the field that can get us into Deling."

Seifer grunted, "Then what?"

"We do what we have to do," Squall spoke uneasily.

Seifer chortled in disbelief, "And what's that? Talk her out of it? That didn't work… strong arm her into retiring failed. Even staging political strife was subdued."

Lani glared at the blonde as the room grew quiet. No one wanted to speak of the end game in front of her; it was beyond clear.

"Put me into space." Rinoa supplied. Her voice didn't yield the confidence she had hoped for, but it was enough for all of them to look at her finally. "Stop trying to spare me, because you're not. This is a war, and it's one I'm planning on ending. I don't know who this woman is, but I 've never wanted any of this."

The room remained silent as Rinoa's eyes turned to Leonhart, "Of all people you should know this."

Slowly his eyes acknowledged hers under heavy lashes.

That's when she saw it in his eyes. He still remembered that night...

...

It was moments after their first kiss on the balcony had been cut short by prying videotape. She had needed time away from the peeping eyes and frightened looks from the media who had gathered to question her. They were relentless on the origins of her powers and how she came to be the newest sorceress walking in their midst. Nothing of her life could be deem private anymore. Her entire life was now an open for them to criticize and judge.

It had already begun, she realized, as she watched the reporters jot down in shorthand her answers to their invasive questions. Her world was changing before her eyes. Every word they wrote was shaping what ultimately what she would become to the people reading the paper the next morning. Their reports would decide if the people would feel sympathy for her misfortune, or start the cries for her containment. It had become too much.

She could feel herself unraveling in the emergency stairwell when a wave of calmness washed over her. It was from a presence watching her from the doorway. Rinoa peered up through heavy lashes to see Leonhart leaning against the doorframe, unsure if he was wanted or not.

"They all think I'm going to be the next enemy," she stated the truth in a panic.

His jaw tensed as he looked away. She could feel the turmoil flowing through the bond. At first he wanted to deny it, but it was useless since both of them knew it was true. It would be a fatal mistake to live in denial instead of prepare for what could lie ahead of them.

"Tomorrow people from here to Centra will be questioning your motives for saving me from the memorial. People will ask for your resignation."

His feet carried him to stand in front of her. "Let them."

"I'm serious, Squall-"

His eyes fixated on her. "So am I. You're not a threat to them Rinoa. You saved them all and if they can't see that- if the other gardens can't see that... Then they will have to go through me to get to you."

Her eyes went straight to him in disbelief.

"You remember my promise?" he asked sternly.

Of course, she did. How could she forget? She replayed every word over and over again, but a part of her knew she could not hold him to something said in the heat of the moment. There were more people he would have to answer too, but the determination on his face now was something entirely different.

This was no longer a promise. It was his mission.

"What if…," she questioned.

Their eyes locked.

"What if they're right? What if I'm the next threat?"

A new flush of emotion waged war on the bond as the mercenary crouched down next to her, leaning so close to her they were almost touching.

His voice lowered in fear, someone could overhear them, "What answer do you want from me? The answer I would give those people? There is not a single vindictive bone in your body. I don't believe there is a more trustworthy person that this could've happened to. You're good Rinoa, through and through."

It was a lie. She could feel his deceit echoing in the bond, tainting it.

Her eyes bore into his. "I want the truth from you Squall. Always the truth."

The harsh light casted long shadows over his face as he moistened his lips. "The truth? The truth is I don't know what will happen. I'm unable to predict that, but truthfully I don't care what happens. I'll protect you. I'll be damned if I will fail you..."

The power in his quiet promise was a testament to how much he believed in her. The trust was there, and yet she was frightened by his words.

"You don't have control over something like that Squall."

The rational side of him must have known what she said was true because he turned away, "Then I'll fall from grace with you."

Horror entered her.

"That's the last thing I would want," she whispered. "I don't want to hurt any of them…."

"Then you won't," he answered her, staring at her lips.

"I'm scared I'll hurt you."

Her hand went on to his. So much had changed; he no longer pulled away from her touch. Instead, he stared at her intently with so much heat she could feel it show in her cheeks.

Desperation filled her, "If it came to it, you would protect them from me, wouldn't you? I can trust you, right?"

His body didn't move.

"Promise me! Promise me you will find a way to keep me from betraying them- Whatever it takes- No matter how hard-," she spoke frantically until his lips crashed into hers, silencing her pleas.

This kiss had been different from the one on the balcony. That one had been sweet and tender, filled with nervous anticipation that had preceded the act. By contrast, his lips now were filled with a hunger that wanted more than one simple passing. The warmth from his presence now passed through his fevering lips as he buried his fingers in her hair.

Breaking apart was like depriving her of air. She wanted -no needed more to survive. It was the strongest drug and sedative to her worries.

"I'll do anything you ask me to do," he promised. "If that's what you want from me, then I'll save you from yourself…."

...

Rinoa's attention snapped back to the present. She took a deep breath trying to calm the overwhelming emotions the memory had on her. Back then Rinoa had trusted every word, not understanding how much they would foreshadow their dark future. It was clear Leonhart had reflected on that moment as well, he sat there with an expression that made the world seem to blur around her like a dream.

The unreality of déjà vu swept her away from her memory until the dream from the night before broke through the veil of mist. Suddenly it came back with a force that was enough to push her back into reality.

Shamefully, she looked away from the mature gunblader, in fear of turning scarlet as her mind reeled back from the memory of an inappropriate embrace.

She kept her eyes facing forward. "I-If sending me into space is not an option, then you will have to fulfill what you were meant to do as SeeDs. I understood what that meant from the very beginning. As your team member, I have no other objective than this." She finished strongly as she noticed Ellone's face drained of color.

"Great, so can we get this shit going?" Seifer complained, oblivious to the sensitivity of the matter. "I agree with the sorceress. We all know there isn't any other political bullshit left for us to try, so let's get on with this."

Ellone's mind seemed to be somewhere else for a moment, before looking up at her pseudo brother, "What does Tilmitt think of this? Will Trabia stand with us?"

Rinoa reiterated, "Tilmitt?"

The name was like lightening to her senses, igniting a firestorm of questions. "You mean Selphie?"

That was when ever-factual Lani stepped in, taking a spot near Ellone's desk. "Miss. Tilmitt took the position of Headmistress at Trabia Garden a few years ago."

Squall leaned into his hand in thought. "Quistis stands with us, and I have no doubt Tilmitt will as well. Our next course of action will have to be meeting in person."

Seifer leaned his head back and dug the heel of his palm into his eyes, while letting on a frustrated groan, "There is no way the cowboy will participate in this if Tilmitt is involved. I'd rather have the sharp shooter any day of the week."

"I told you; we're going to need all three, " Squall supplied as he did calculations in his head.

Seifer jumped in. "Well that's just fucking great, but you can't get one in the room with the other, so how do you plan on doing that?!"

The back and forth between knights was enough to make Rinoa motion for both of them to stop. "Whoa, wait! Sorry, but we are talking about Irvine and Selphie, right?"

A grin suddenly plastered on Seifer's face as he sat up with interest. "Apparently, happily ever after doesn't exist in your little group. You even managed to destroy even their happiness."

"Seifer," Squall warned. He shot him a death glare, but it failed to have its desired effect. The blonde was entertained by the fact that he could still rile up his childhood rival on a whim.

Lani was the one to push the conversation forward while sharing Ellone's unease. "This is irrelevant to meeting. Headmistress Tilmitt has been in this war from the beginning. It may take some personal negation." Lani's eyes ultimately fell on Leonhart. "But it can be done. On the other hand, Commander Kinneas won't be an easy sell. Despite personal issues, he answers to Headmaster Walsh. Perhaps we could entertain Commander Kinneas's personal emotions to change his mind."

"You mean you want me to change his mind." Rinoa figured.

As daunting of an idea as that was, Rinoa was satisfied that she had found a purpose within their plan. "It actually may be relevant to know what happened to them if I'm expected to walk in between two warring couples."

A very true statement from the annoyance on Lani's face, however, Rinoa could not imagine what could have dragged those two apart. Not after witnessing Irvine giving up Galbadia Garden for Selphie in her time.

"Divorces are messy," said Seifer smirking.

"They're not divorced," Ellone attempted to clarify before Seifer but her off.

"Cowboy won't sign the papers, but she has everyone referring to her as Tilmitt again."

"Do you get off on other's people's pain?" Lani questioned, skewering Seifer with a look that could kill

"Sarvis," Leonhart warned, knowing as well as Rinoa that she was only setting herself up.

"We all have our hobbies, Lani. Tell me, what gets you off?" The blonde asked mockingly. Seifer relished the moment by looking over to Leonhart. "Oh, right."

Squall's nostrils flared as his hand went for his gunblade. The only thing that prevented it from being drawn was Lani's hand on his shoulder.

Rinoa's eyes fixated onto the desk, as the mood of the room froze over in an instant. The air in her lungs hitched as they were unable to expel or breathe. She felt like she was choking on the very breath she needed.

Her chair screeched as she stood up brusquely and headed towards the door in desperate search of respite. By the time she landed in the hallway, she already realized there was no safe place to go. Guards tensed upon seeing her, calculating if they should take actions despite their strict orders.

Out of breath and gasping for more air than in supply, Rinoa let her body slump against the wall trying to pull herself together.

Seifer's words were just to get a reaction, and she was weak for getting caught up in his madness. As much as she wanted to deny the sting, the words echoed in her mind.

He wasn't hers, she begged herself to listen to her logic, but the aching in her heart argued differently. The war between her mind and heart was becoming too overwhelming. The images of Squall touching another woman made her want to throw up.

"Rinoa?"

So absorbed in her thoughts, Rinoa hadn't heard Ellone's call the first time. Rinoa tried to sober up right away by burying her emotions away.

Ellone's heals slowly grazed the floor towards Rinoa. "I guess I should ask you if you're alright?"

While facing forward, Rinoa allowed her eyes to look over to the eloquent woman walking towards her with curiosity.

"How could anyone possibly be alright in my position?"

Ellone stopped an arm's length away from the sorceress, her eyes surveying her distress while calculating what her response should be.

"No, I suppose that would be too much to ask for."

And with that, Ellone let the conversation drop allowing Rinoa the opportunity to take it in any direction she wanted.

"Leonhart had nothing to do with bringing me here," Rinoa clarified. "He fought hard to get me to leave, but as you can see, it didn't work. My decision was made for me when my future-self took Squall away. You have every right to hate me for what I've done…. I'm having a hard time dealing with this myself, but I can't walk away from this. I won't stop fighting for him."

Ellone's lips pursed at the news as her eyes narrowed in contemplation. "He said you had changed when he disappeared. Is it true that you all walked away from Garden to find him?"

Rinoa said nothing as Ellone brushed her fingers through her hair.

"He's right you're much stronger than you use to be."

Rinoa turned her head towards her, feeling her defensive walls rising. She also knew to be wary of political ass kissing, and this had that feeling all over it.

"It's not that I hate you," Ellone informed her with a guarded posture. "But I've run out of forgiveness long ago. It's true that in technicality, none of this is your fault yet, but to me, you're still committing crimes against my family by being here. I can't stand back and watch this without objecting. That is what you walked into back there."

Rinoa shook her head at a complete loss, "Crimes? What crimes?"

"You're destroying him," she stated coldly. "We lost him just like we lost you. Only recently was he finding something that resembles a life but now here you are again. You're going to take him under again."

Rinoa gasped at the accusation, "I'm not trying to do that, Ellone!"

"Trying or not, that is just what you're doing by being here. I'm not the only one who sees it, Rinoa. By no means am I saying you are out to harm Leonhart purposefully, but ultimately, that is going to happen."

Rinoa shook her head. "Unbelievable."

How many more times would she have to face this conversation? It was pointless!

"Lani was the first person that could make him live again and not just simply exist. She brought him back to us and now, with you here, you're going to drag him right back into-"

"Ok, just stop!" Rinoa wasn't bothered by the fact that her voice rang out in the hallway for all to hear. "I'm sorry Ellone. I tried. I really have, but this has to stop. I have no control over what Leonhart does in his life, but if you are so concerned about this, then I suggest taking this conversation up with him."

Ellone's eyes narrowed for a second.

Rinoa lifted herself off the wall and began to walk towards her, "I see from your office that we were close once and that you too have someone in your life that you love. Tell me, would you just stand by and let things happen to them all because others didn't want you in their life anymore?"

Ellone looked down, "You might think I'm overstepping my boundaries, but I'm protecting what really matters to all of us-"

"Ellone."

The two of them bristled against an unfriendly warning from a callous Leonhart, who watched the two of them from the office doorway as Seifer and Lani glanced over on their way out.

Ellone regarded him as if she were oblivious to his burning gaze. "Not everyone has a voice here, but I do and I plan on using it. I will keep my family safe and together, and that does mean assisting you. Gather all three gardens and Esthar will create a diversion to get you into Galbadia. We will hold them off, but you need to be sure you can go through with this, Squall. You won't have any room for hesitation or mistakes. Makes sure you and your party is prepared to make your one shot count."

Leonhart remained silent until Ellone tried to pass him. His hand shot out to restrain hers.

"We're not done talking about this," he fumed.

A challenging smile hinted across her face, "Yes, we are, little brother. Don't forget what brought you to my doorstep six years ago, and who forced you there."

It was a deadlock between two great forces that was entrancing to see. Pulling her hand away from Squall, Ellone walked away as two security guards approached them.

"We'll show you to your car," the heavily armed muscle instructed them. That was a signal that they had overstayed their welcome.

ooo000ooo

Only one private car was waiting at the secured exit. Rinoa's eyes searched the surrounding area before following Leonhart.

She pulled a seatbelt around her waist as the door slammed closed, "What's our game plan now? Where's Seif-"

"-I already sent them ahead," he answered, snapping the conversation to a close before reeling himself back into his own world by looking out the window.

It was a clear cue for her to do the same. With no alcohol infusion to help be an icebreaker, he had once more become untouchable when it came to conversation.

Rinoa leaned her head against the glass watching the world around her begin to blur as they exited the presidential compound. It was maybe mid-afternoon now, and traffic was heavy as the car departed towards the business district.

"Can I even ask where we are going?" she asked without looking over to the man next to her.

The irritation was thick in his voice, "We're making one stop before we crash at my flat for the night. Tomorrow the White SeeD ship will provide us with a ship to bring us to Trabia."

It wasn't exactly a full answer, but more than she had expected to receive. She took a swift glance at the stressed Knight, who sat on the edge of his seat. A small part of her mind wondered if he was contemplating jumping out of the speeding car to get away from her.

This was humorous.

To think everyone fears this; him being next to her. As if being this close together could erase all the damning things she has done to him, or abolish the guilt of the heinous crime Leonhart had committed. It all went back to the balcony, last night. He said he stilled cared for her, but that was a long ways from anything remotely close to love.

Her fingers brushed against her mouth as she leaned on her elbows on the armrest. Seifer's antagonizing comments still plagued her, and clearly she wasn't the only one.

Seifer's comments were crude, and yes the truth behind it was like a shot to her heart. It was Leonhart's eyes that drilled into Seifer, after his comments, that made Rinoa's heart grow numb. It was of anger, swirling behind cold casted steel, and protectiveness. She could remember how comforting that protectiveness was to have in your defense, however, this time it was clear it was not intended for her.

The car suddenly banked right, taking an exit through a tunnel lightly lit with lights that casted an unfavorable shadow onto her face. She glanced up to see a sign pass overhead:

Second Sorceress War Memorial- Deliveries next right

A chill froze her down to her the core. For a second, she wondered if he had a change of heart and was planning on going to plan C… or D… or whatever plan getting rid of her ended up being. She clutched the armrest tightly getting an impassive look from Leonhart.

Indeed, the car took the next left and pulled around a massive contemporary glass building build of burnished steel. It was a barren parking lot that only held a loading bay and back entrance.

The car rolled to a stop before the lock suddenly unlocked. Leonhart bolted from the car like a wild animal freed from his cage. Rinoa took a more leisurely approach, as her mind started to feel unsettled.

He took long strides through the darken service corridor that was empty from any living soul. Despite her mind still questioning the reason for being here, she followed behind him until reaching a wide open space. The light in the area filtered softly in from the windowed walls and a large glass waterfall stood in the center of the room.

Her mouth opened in awe as her feet propelled her past Leonhart, who stood waiting. Trees in potted plants made the area feel more like an enclosed garden than a museum. Running water echoed through as the water fell from high above and crashed on glistening crystals below. Her eyed focused onto the first wall that would guide her to the right. Its bold gold letters gleaming in the afternoon light read:

Dedicated To The SeeD Six Whom Saved The World And In Memory To Lives Lost.

It was like walking into a dream. It was entrancing and horrifying all at the same time. Everyone could walk through here and see the event that lead up to moments where her life would change forever. Rinoa looked around seeing no other soul around them. Leonhart had thought ahead she realized, so she began to follow the curving of the wall into her past.

The first section of the museum introduced the players of this sad story. A picture on the wall showed Edea, Cid, and the orphanage by the sea. Also, a blown up grainy picture of a group of children standing awkwardly next to each other in a line.

A little boy wearing an orange shirt with horizontal stripes was next to a taller blonde boy in a blue vest and gray pants. His arms were crossed in defiance to the picture being taken. Next to them, a sweet little brown-haired girl wearing a yellow shirt a green overalls smiles shyly against a boy with long brown hair who seemed to have a very happy expression on his face. The oldest one was a girl with long blonde hair and glasses. She tried to keep the smaller ones in place, but clearly lost control over one with short blonde hair. This child had a white shirt, with black overalls, and one over enthusiastic smile pinned to his face.

Zell.

Her heart panged with guilt as she read the title of the picture.

The Fated Children.

Rinoa turned around on her heels to see the stealthy knight had been following her all along.

"Quistis is commander of Balamb, Selphie is Headmaster at Trabia, Irvine is Commander of Galbadia, but where is Zell?"

Squall looked at the photo behind her, taking a moment to think his answers through. All of it was enough for her to know his answer wasn't going to be easy to swallow, "He chose a different path than we did. When it came to choosing sides in this war, he didn't choose SeeD."

"What?" she knew what he was saying but comprehending it was harder than expected.

"He chose you," Squall said his eyes still transfixed on the picture emotionlessly. "Officially, Garden lost track of his whereabouts, but I have a few insiders who say he runs a fight club in Timber."

Her brows drew together in shock, "I can't believe it. Why would he leave Garden and go along with what I've done?"

Squall put his hands in his pockets as his eyes dropped to her, "He hated us for abandoning hope on you. SeeDs don't-"

"Abandon their own," Rinoa finished effortlessly. "He said the same thing when you went missing."

It was hard turning away from the photo, but it became too much to bear. Especially when seeing that smiling face of an innocent child, knowing it wouldn't last forever.

She walked through the history of pictures on how Garden grew with its purpose of ultimately fighting Ultimecia. A large train compartment came into view, and she was instantly drawn to it.

"No way," She said circling it. "This can't be the same train compartment from the botched mission to hold the president hostage."

Her eyes went to the plaque that confirmed her suspicions. She squinted in disbelief before smiling in amazement at what she saw roped off.

A light blue classic convertible with fin taillights sat there like no time had passed at all from when it sustained its heavy damage its side. A picture taken from a frantic photographer was present showing the moment the car smashed into the gate. Rinoa searched the scene seeing a fuzzy image of a man in a black coat with white fur collar climbing through the gate wreckage.

The memories were bittersweet when she remembered the fear that transpired afterward. The most prominent was the memory of a controlled Edea sending an ice shard deep into his chest. Some nights Rinoa would still dream of that moment seeing the shock spread through his face as he fell backward. She remembered the blood. Even that tainted her memories.

She followed the trail of memories. There were parts from various machines from their escape from D-District Prison, a list of impressive creatures they effortlessly killed, an amateur picture of Balamb Garden crashing into Fisherman horizon, and an oversized painting done by a famous painter of it airborne. It was all there, so much of their life on display. It was as if she was watching someone else's life, someone else's story, like an outsider.

It was overwhelming as she walked past the story of her life thus far. She paused when she saw two space suits together behind an elaborate space mural fixed with glowing stars. Her mouth went dry as she heard Leonhart walking up behind her. She wanted nothing more than to ask him more about this and why that moment had been chosen for display, but she remained silent. Rinoa had faced death multiple times, but this moment was the one that plagued her dreams. If she had died next to her friends, it would have been for a cause she had believed in, and she could live with that, but it was terrifying she her body struggled to keep conscious thinking how no one would ever be able to claim her. She would be lost to time and space, drifting in a sea forever to be alone.

When Rinoa had opened her eyes, she saw his ring free floating in the air. It was him calling to her, and it kept her alive until he reached her. Seeing his face made the tears in her eyes tear up with relief and bewilderment.

Rinoa moved past that trying to not let her emotions show. The memories she once cherished but were now suffocating her.

Her eyes glanced to see a giant room filled with a red space ship open for the public to explore.

"I can't believe they could fit it in here," she mused. The words left her mouth as her eyes went up to the fully restored Ragnarok on display.

"We used it for many years. Then it came time to donate it or scrap it."

Her mental filter accidently slipped as she closed in on the beautiful airship. "Which one did you vote for?"

She stopped wondering if he would answer, but the silence only continued as he refused to play her game. Shrugging, Rinoa walked out of that room into one she hadn't expected.

A gasp went out from her chest as she saw each of her team member's face on the wall and below them, glass boxes holding personal items in memoriam.

The closest one was for Quistis. Her picture showed her standing proudly in uniform on Balamb Garden's flight deck with a distant look in her eyes. Below her picture her Save the Queen whip was coiled up in pristine condition. Next to it, her iconic orange sweater dress and brown pants were poised on a mannequin for all to see. The wall listed a short interview with her on her hopes and dreams for Garden. Rinoa skimmed a few lines wondering if any of them had come to fruition. They were all very well thought out and poetic much like the woman herself. A smirk tugged at her lips as she read an advertisement for the official Trepies Club. Quistis from her time would have been exasperated to see how much that fan club has grown over the years.

In Zell's corner, there was a freakishly lifelike wax model of him, boxing a punching bag with mind-blowing stats for those interested in his boxing techniques. His Ehrgeiz Knuckles were on display in another glass box, but her favorite part was the picture of him holding a coupon for a lifetime supply of hot dogs. She couldn't help but laugh at what waited for them.

Selphie's yellow dress was framed next to her Strange Vision Nunchaku. They were a little different then they were in her time as some alterations must have had happened after the fact. A compilation of photos from various Garden Festivals she had orchestrated was against the crisp white walls. She found herself featured in a few of them which intriguing. She saw herself in Garden's ballroom dressed in a deep blue minidress surrounded by her friends. Squall stood awkwardly next to her with his hands to himself with a look of unease while everyone else seemed calmed and relaxed. She looked through the other photograph to find that the story was the continued in each one. They always stood next to each other but never touched or looked at each other. An unsettling wave of trepidation washed over her. She turned her back to it to see a section dedicated to Irvine.

As Rinoa expected, a shrine had been built for his trademark trench coat and boots, but what made her laugh the most was the cowboy hate in its own secure location. Flowers and smudge marks were left on the glass from his many admirers. There was an overall ick factor to it, but it made her smile in spite of herself as she walked past the sniper rifle Exeter. It was enclosed with all the tradeshow awards he had won over the next twenty some years.

The next room in the museum was the definition of mortification. A picture of her standing in a sea of flowers off the coast of Centra was screen printed on the room's wall. It appeared to be a personal photo by the way she was smiling at the photographer in fading light. On the opposite wall was a picture of Squall in an equally embarrassing photo.

Someone he must have liked took the photo because he was at complete ease as he polished his gunblade with a hint of a smile crossing his features. His brown hair hung in his eyes but even without seeing them he conveyed

Below his picture, was a long biography and list of accomplishments that needed its own wall to fit. She looked at the case that had Lion Heart on display. Like it was suspended in animation, the gunblade balanced on its tip. Presented like this, Rinoa was certain it drew the biggest crowd. How many times had she seen this sword? Too many to count, yet it still took her breath away. The plate on the glass read:

Graciously donated by: S. Leonhart and Balamb Garden.

Her eyes went back to her own section finding a case that appeared to be nearly empty. Rinoa thought it was out of place until closer inspection made her heart stop. Laying on a raised pedestal, a leather dog collar with a tarnished tag was there making the air burn on its way out of her lungs.

"Oh, Hyne," She whispered with tears burning her eyes. Her fingers had grazed the glass before she looked down to the plate informing her of her sweet dog's death.

Relief swept through when seeing her beloved companion had a long life. Still seeing her collar there reminded her that nothing was forever and that someday her heart would have to break with her passing.

She swiped at her eyes banishing the tears as she placed her hand on the glass saying a small prayer.

Leonhart walked passed to the case just a few steps beyond her. There her weapon Shooting Star was encased behind thick glass. It was in better condition than it had been before Ultimecia. Blinking a few times, she took a step forward while noticing it was in better condition it had even before the war.

The inscription on the bronze plate read:

Generously on loan by: Sorceress R. Heartilly.

Squall opened up the glass and reached in to take the elaborate pinwheel in his hands.

"It was completely taken apart and refurbished when plans of a museum were announced." He softly spoke while admiring before offering it to her. "This belongs to you."

The weight of the weapon was oddly comfortable in her hands, as she relished the extensive work that had been done to optimize it.

Feeling his attention on her, she observed his eyes taking her in without excuses. She swallowed from the lack of comfort his penetrating stare had on her. He was in deep thought about something, making him forget for a moment that he had stared a moment too long. She wanted to be able to read what was running through it and decided that there would be no better time to test what was left between them. She pushed beyond the uncomfortable space concerning them and searched for what remained of their bond. It was the link that kept them forever tied to each other but almost felt decimated by time.

Her own emotions flooded forward as she let her guard down and accepted whatever stimulating response she would get from the other side. Nothing could have prepared her for the internal static that was produce came, only to be followed by an internal growl that slammed against her mind.

She flinched back as if someone had pushed her. Her eyes widen in distress, and her mouth parted, but nothing would come out. She pulled away then and stepped backward as Leonhart looked back at her with rage.

"Don't try to claim me again," he commanded with a feral anger she had never seen before. While his voice was not much louder than a whisper, but it still seemed to echo in this space.

She looked away trying to hold her composure as she felt the rush of wind go past her leaving her alone with nothing other a weapon and an aching heart. She listened as his footsteps faded before breathing out in uneven breaths.

"Pushing boundaries was always one of your problems," a voice echoed, making her heart leap out of her chest. Humiliation then proceeded to filter in as her cheeks bled red at not being alone.

The voice came from the last part of the exhibit, and she knew the room was dedicated to the voice that mocked her.

Passing through the glass doorframe, she discovered the conclusion of her previous adventure- The very one she had yet to experience herself.

Seifer's back was to Rinoa as he looked at a panel of photographs of him on the far side of the wall. Just as there had been for them, glass cases were set up throughout the room holding his personal effects for all to see.

"You never know when to stop pushing for answers." Seifer laughed.

"Something we have in common," She spoke keeping her eyes locked on him while feeling the weapon in her hand burning to be used.

The Blonde giant failed to turn to her, but even still, she knew her comment amused him. "I told you. We are more alike than you thought."

Disgruntled by the idea of both being overheard by Almasy, and being now mocked by him, she looked to the dialog on the wall speaking in conclusion of their war.

Most of the first half spoke of Squall's promotion, and then subsequent retirement to live a private life. Then it went on to talk about each of the 'Fated Children'; most she already had known from the discussion in Ellone's office. It did not go unnoticed that her name had been left out completely at this point.

They had purposely left her out of history, not that she didn't understand why.

She moved along the wall to see pictures of Seifer's trial. Hastily, she skimmed through the cliff notes learning that nearly all of their recounts to Garden had been used to gather evidence against Seifer. All of them decline to testify for, or against him during it. She finally stepped next to Seifer and undoubtedly found what he was staring at for so long. It was enough for her to want to walk away in revulsion.

"Can you believe? They got it wrong. It was five bullets," he said.

Rinoa turned to Seifer in disbelief of the tiny hang up he was having over the photo.

His fingers traced over the photo, silently counting how many men were in the photo firing bullets into his chest.

"See, five…. Unless one missed from less the than twenty feet away, in which they're the worst waste of an existence I've ever seen. They should be on the other end of the gun then."

The words she had said to him last night came flooding back making her feel oddly bewildered over own feelings at seeing the image.

Seifer looked around as if he had smelled something bad. "This whole thing is nauseating. They're practically worshiping false idols in the beginning and masturbating over the dead by the end."

That was when an awkward silence settled over them as she stared at the blindfolded knight whose arms were restrained back with ties. Smoke was shading the photo as his body painful contorted backward from the impact. Her tougher exterior faltered a bit at seeing the pain on his face at that moment.

"So Rinoa, do you think five bullets are enough?" Seifer inquired, his eyes lost in thought.

Rinoa glanced to him as his blue eyes turned to her to searching her face. His face held its stoic confidence but buried deep in his eyes was something she had missed before, or maybe she just never wanted to see. It was regret.

Rinoa shrugged slightly, "If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure they will have a field day crucifying me."

Had that actually come from her mouth? Was she trying to comfort Seifer Almasy really?

His eyebrow rose as he entertained that thought. "You kidding? They'll probably have a place ten times bigger than this for you. Maybe they can just keep you frozen in the middle as a display piece for everyone to gawk at. That would really bring the tourist in."

She timidly scoffed at the morbid idea at jest, but then let the silence resume, knowing that there was more truth behind his awful words. Then it hit Rinoa like a tidal wave… She was comfortable.

Somehow, and somewhere, she found herself standing next to him, and she wasn't afraid or angry anymore. Maybe it took seeing his end, to understand that, in a small way, he was right. This was her future too. Something they had in common that nobody else could relate to. She may have saved the world, but in the end she will only be remembered for destroying it. While Seifer may ultimately help save the world, he will only be remembered for being the first transgressor. Together they will always be linked in this cruel irony and go down in history as examples.

It was a cold and lonely place to be, staring into the face of your future.

She looked at him as his eyes went to hers with the same ill-fated thought. She had made peace with the devil, for now.

He rolled his eyes in aggravation as he turned away. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Rinoa looked to the other side of the wall where Hyperion laid in glass. "What about your weapon?"

He stopped mid-step and hesitated before turning around. Temptation filled his cyan eyes, as they looked once more at the smooth, long blade. "Some things are better left in the past. Right Rinoa?"

She looked at him knowing that yet again, his words were a simple warning for her to tread carefully in her own life. She nodded once before heading towards the museum's exit, but not before being stopped by a pillar holding a shallow hurricane glass with a lit candle. Rinoa looked at the plaque for reference, not expecting what she would find.

In Memory Of My Lost Child, May Your Spirit Find Its Way Home.

-Edea "Matron" Kramer

Seifer's reflection in the hurricane glass appeared over Rinoa's shoulder. She could feel the breath of his ridicule on her neck, "I'm no longer lost."

With that statement, he leaned over her shoulder and blew the candle out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lengthy up date on Squall's birthday! Who didn't see that one coming? I'm proud to say that all past chapters have been reread and are looking pretty damn good thanks to my beta reader. Probably a few mistakes left (I made so many), however it looks much better now so we will call it a win! Thank you for all of the support and reviews. Its been a hard month for me and I wanted to give up quite a few times. I also wanted to note that my profile page will update occasionally to give you the heads up on what I'm doing. If you checked it a week ago you would have found a sneak peak. I might do that more often for fun.
> 
> I hope this chapter is entertaining. If it's not, you know what to do... TELL ME! =D I'm looking forward to the next chapter. We are going to see some more awkward hot/cold behavior from Squall, and our favorite Garden festival organizer will make her appearance. I'm sure there will be more Rinoa and Seifer conversation/arguments ahead. So you know what to do...
> 
> READ and REVIEW!


	9. Chapter 9: Against Better Judgment

_**I do not own FF8, but I can dream right?** _

_**Beta: HeartlessTitania** _

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Chapter 9: Against Better Judgment

_**ooo000ooo** _

* * *

The car ride through Esthar remained uneventful, if not dull by Rinoa's standards. She was sandwiched between two knights, who both refused to speak to her. This left her with too much time to think, something she was finding increasingly dangerous.

Going back to all the new discoveries she had learned over the course of a couple of days, she was amazed at how well she was holding up mentally. Nothing in her life had turned out like she had hoped it would, and that filtered down even into her own friend's lives.

Quistis's beauty had been something Rinoa had always idolized about her, but her own hands enacting on revenge had soiled that. Selphie and Irvine, once the most secured couple, now hated each other and were going through a bitter divorce. Something Seifer had said in Ellone's office had hinted that she had something to do with. Zell deeply resented the group entirely and disowned them while being content on never being found again. Ellone hated her altogether and had no qualms on sharing it. And Squall….

Squall was a whole other complex issue. He hadn't acknowledged her since she had crossed the line in the museum and was back to pretending she didn't exist. Sitting next to her, he had his elbow on his armrest and a fist covering his mouth as he watched the car take a turn into a private residential building. The only thing abundantly clear now was that everything she had hoped for her future hadn't come to pass. It was enough to wonder how she would make it through her own time, knowing this was what she had to look forward too.

 _That kind of thinking is why Leonhart never wanted you involved in the first place_ , her brain snipped back at her to toughen up. There wouldn't be enough time for her to mope about it though, as their transportation stopped signaling it was time to be on the move.

Leaving the car behind, Rinoa followed Leonhart's lead as he made his way to a private elevator that required not only a key, code, and retina scan but DNA test just to have the elevator called.

Rinoa raised an eyebrow back towards Seifer, who replied with his gesture by glancing up at the camera's that matched their movement. When the elevator doors opened, a familiar face looked up, just as surprised as they were to the impromptu greeting.

Lani looked at the arriving company for a moment before giving Leonhart a subtle nod and walked passed them with an oversized black duffel bag slung over her back.

"What's wrong Sarvis?" Seifer called out, not being able to let it go, "Too good to shack up with us tonight?"

The white SeeD turned around to walk backwards smirking, "I've got family to see. You two enjoy yourselves."

"Lets go," Leonheart said, clearly alienated as he swiped his key once more. He gave them a look that demanded they enter quickly.

The elevator ushered the three of them to the secured penthouse level that on first impression, seemed too sterile to be lived in.

"Huh, apparently saving the world pays better," Seifer mocked as he scoped out the black and white tiled hallway. It was bare of anything homely. "Got a gym in this place?"

Leonhart said nothing but tapped on a door as he passed it.

Seifer nodded approvingly as he moved passed Rinoa, "Nice."

The very last door on the left opened to what was to be considered the entryway to the more livable area of his palatial home. A living room greeted them in beige tones mixed with various red-fuelled abstract paintings. A large grey sectional occupied one corner and in front a thin screen seemed to hang an inch away from the wall with nothing attracted to it. Looking around it wasn't hard to see that someone else picked it out. Squall never would have gone through the trouble of personalizing a space. Then again, Squall never did seem too interested in laying down permanent roots other than garden.

"There's a bathroom at the end of hallway. My bedroom is on the right. Rinoa can take the one on the left."

Seifer spun around, "What about me?"

"Enjoy the couch," Squall muttered, but clearly something else was preoccupying his mind. "I'll be back later."

Seifer frowned, as Squall turned away from them, "Hey-"

Squall ignored the call as he walked back to the hallway from which they came from, quickening his pace with every step.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?" Seifer shouted in vain knowing there was no point in going after him.

Rinoa shifted her bag slightly, "Just let him go. I don't know about you but I'm going to hit that gym."

Seifer looked at her, unamusedas she started heading towards the room designated as hers.

Flipping on the light switch, she looked around the room that had nothing more than the bare essentials. Beige naked walls, with a full sized contemporary bed in black steel, and plain grey bedding that had been neatly laid out for her use. The only thing out of place was the closet that had been left ajar and empty.

Rinoa threw her black bag and her weapon on the bed, trying not to think of who might have been staying here before her. She unzipped the white covering to her outfit and happily pulled herself out of it, revealing her black leggings and white tank top.

She pulled a hair binder off her wrist and bent over to shake out her black hair, gathering it together at the crown before standing up to secure it away from her face. With one last check in a mirror on the back of the door, she took off into the direction of the small kitchen across from the living room.

"You ready?" she asked as she opened the fridge door. She found a bottle of water stashed in the door for her use. The lack of a response made the Rinoa look up to see Seifer just sitting on the couch engrossed in the TV.

She watched him for a moment perplexed as he failed to move before reaching out to him once more, "Never pegged you as television kind of guy. What are you watching?"

Seifer's eyes never left the screen as he grunted, "A lame porno. Apparently he has a channel for it."

Rinoa raised her eyebrow, "What?"

He simple pointed to screen as a reply to her as he remained engrossed.

Now Not being able to contain her own curiosity, she walked over to see black and white footage shot from above as the couple in the scene started to get really heated up. Only problem was, this was no porno channel, but a security feed from the building. The couple caught in passionate throes was none other than Leonhart and Sarvis. Her neutral expression dropped with her stomach.

"I mean come on!" Seifer yelled out raising a hand in outrage, "First of all how paranoid is this guy that he has twenty seven cameras on his apartment building? And secondly, how does he not know about the camera right above him?"

Rinoa watched it all as the feeling left her body. They were partly out of the frame but there was more than enough of them to get a play-by-play description. Sarvis's back was pinned up against the wall by Leonheart's body as his lips overwhelmed hers. One of his hands was holding her face gently, but the other? Well it wasn't visible from underneath her shirt but it was clear it was being less than gentle there.

Silently and voided of all emotion, Rinoa allowed herself to walk away without another word towards the gym. She could hear the disgruntled calls from the ex-knight beckoning her to come back and answer him. Not only was it mentally impossible for her react, but it was physically impossible for her to rejoin him as well. Her own mind was wiped like a blank slate, unable to formulate an opinion or an emotion to what it had just witnessed. Her hand hit the timer on the treadmill for a nice five-mile jog by the time the former knight caught up to her.

"Come on Heartilly, you're disappointing me," Seifer egged her on.

She looked up at him through a curtain of lashes, "She's his girlfriend. What do you want me to say?"

She hadn't thought about the words before they came out and she was equally as surprised as Seifer was for the calm and rational deduction. Stepping on the moving belt, she quickly adjusted herself to its speed, wishing she could out run this conversation too. Unfortunately for her, it was clear Seifer had other plans.

Seifer hit the emergency stop button forcing her to listen, "Oh come on, that's a load of bullshit. You can't just look at that and tell me you don't give a shit!"

"I don't know what you want from me Seifer." Rinoa scoffed while looking away, "You're  _not_  the kind of guy who gives a shit about other people's love lives so what do you want from me? If you're just being an asshole to get me all riled up again, then sorry, but I'm not going for it."

Seifer grimaced, "You're only partially right. It's not your love life I care about. I don't give a shit if Squall is knocking boots with someone other than you."

"Great to have that established. So what part am I wrong about?" she demanded to know, as this was wearing her down to the point where she might break.

He looked at her gesturing broadly, "You're really satisfied with this? This life? Your future? Is there anything about this at all that you are happy with?"

Rinoa's eyes skewered through blonde, annoyed by the pointless questioning, "Wait, are you saying you don't care about my love life but my future in general?"

"Good, you're not totally dense. We're finally on the same page," he mocked leaning over the controls of the machine. "So what are you going to do about it?"

She cocked her head for a moment not knowing what to say, "Uh, how about taking myself out? Kind of big plan in case you haven't noticed."

"Hyne Heartilly! What would that change for you? Seriously?!" he yelled at her, grating on her brittle nerves.

"I don't know, okay? Isn't the whole point  _not_  to change anything?" she questioned, frustrated by his vagueness.

Trying to inspire her to think, he lowered his voice but failed to hide the irritation at her not getting it, "Why not?"

She waited for a moment watching him breathe as he got closer to her, trying to hold her attention as if it might slip away, "If we don't like anything about this future, why keep it this way?"

She let his words sink in for a moment until the weight of them suddenly bogged her down. Disgusted she repelled from him, "Change things for me? Or for you?"

Seifer smirked slightly as she felt the urge to deliver one good Ultima to the devil laughing in her face.

"You self-serving asshole, this isn't about me. This is all about you!" she spit the words into his face with contempt.

That made him flash a set of white teeth in amusement as he suppressed his laughter, "So? I got interest in it as well, but don't think for one moment that this doesn't have anything to do with you. Tell me, who wouldn't benefit if things changed around here?"

She refused her first instinct to look down and instead kept her gaze level with his as she spoke the truth, "Leonhart and Sarvis seem to be enjoying the present. Who says my happiness trumps theirs?"

"See, that's your problem, so content to follow his orders without questioning anything around you. Heartill, are you telling me that when you go back into your time you don't plan on changing anything because of what you've seen here?"

Glaring at him, she slammed her hand down on the machine's menu to resume her jogging program.

"It's not possible, is it?" His smile was wicked. "You can't stand the sight of them together can you?

She tried to block out his words by getting into the zone of her workout, but the blonde adjusted himself to stand next to her like a fly buzzing around her ear.

"You want him Heartilly? I'll serve him to you on a silver platter," he hissed seductively, "I'll help you figure out where you two went wrong so you can go back and make it right. There is so much being kept hidden away from you and you have no idea-"

It was her hand that now stopped the treadmill as the anger in her swelled past the point of her keeping her cool, "And what would be in it for you Seifer? You made it clear in the beginning that you have your own interest in this too."

The smile on his unshaven face slowly faded into an austere look. All humor and emotion was absent when his voice rose again, "Testify at my trial on my behalf."

"What?" she asked, unable to believe her own ears.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out what I'm asking for Rinoa. I'm asking you to testify about the good I've done here. Tell Garden how I assisted in preventing all this devastation. How I saved their golden child from this fate."

It had suddenly gotten hotter in that room. Emotions were running rampant through her, "What makes you think  _I_  could change their mind on executing you? They would think I am crazy-"

"So be convincing damn it!" he hissed, angered by her tone.

"Seifer!" she stopped him, "Even  _if_  I wanted to go along with this. It would be my word –My storyabout a possible future you  _might_  have prevented, against proven evidence of the things that you have done. Even if I got them to believe me, I'm not sure it would be enough for the world to forgive the heinous crimes you committed!"

"So are you saying you have no interest in changing the future Rinoa?"

No, of course she had no interest, but then again why isn't that coming out of her mouth? She willed herself to speak, but found her voice misplaced when she needed it the most. Instead she stood there wide-eyed gripping the bars desperately trying to keep herself up.

Seifer was like a shark. He smelt the blood of hesitation in the water and was more than ready to circle it, "Rinoa, I am going to kill you. I've been here for a year giving you hell and being a thorn in your future side. I promise you I will not stop. I will not  _die_  until you are either on the end of my sword or in a frozen pillar of ice from which you can never escape."

It was the most difficult thing to hear as she dropped her eyes from him. The absolution burning in him told her it was the truth from where he stood. She knew how lethal he could be on the wrong side.

"You are disgustingly in denial over the fact that this woman is you," Seifer sneered, "Keep this in your head, Rinoa. Someday you  _will_  see me again and I  _will_  be hunting you down. Or we can do this once… Kick your ass, and go back to our time, knowing all the shit that drove you two apart from each other in the first place. It will be as simple as not screwing up again."

Rinoa's eyes slowly trailed its way up the giant, knowing the one large flaw in all of this.

"Seifer, you were the one that told me that I willingly chose to jump over the edge, but it was the strength of the magic that had brought me to the edge."

A sadistic smile formed at the edges of his lips as he leaned in towards her, "It's weird that he keeps so many things from you Rinoa. Are you sure you can trust Leonhart?"

Her eyes searched him as her breathing became shallower.

Seifer continued by sarcastically musing out loud, "Why hasn't he thought to give you the Odine Bangle, is beyond me…"

The Odine Bangle? Her mind rewind back to when she thought all of their problems could be solved by the simple piece of jewelry that was thought to absorb sorcery. She had been widely mocked by Squall for that plan and rightfully so.

"I tried a bangle on Edea," she attempted. "It had no effect."

"Not until it was perfected in the future. Things change Rinoa."

She wanted to accuse him of lying but the urgency displayed in his eyes told her that was far from the case. The overwhelming need to sit down encompassed her.

Seifer looked down on the crumbling sorceress, "It's all here Rinoa. This is your ticket out of this hellish nightmare. This is  _our_  salvation. We come here, figure out what went wrong, do what we came to do, save puberty boy, and leave with the bangle never to see this shitty future again."

She pressed her lips into a thin line, thinking it over. It still felt all wrong to her. She was purposely picking to go against the one she loved. The one who still said he cared, despite the pain she put him through.

"I don't know," was her only response.

It should have been a flat out no, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Damnit Hearillty!" Seifer exclaimed completely outraged, "What is there not to understand?"

"I can't get past the fact that I might be ruining his happiness for my own." It was the truth.

"Hyne, Hearilly." Seifer rubbed his eyes. "What is there to think about? Do you think he is really happy with all of this?"

"If you want another answer then you have to give me more to make a decision on," she argued. "Quistis told me that Leonhart betrayed me. That was what started this war against Squall's life. You know what he did, don't you?"

His jaw tightened as his eyes shifted away from her, "Yeah, I do, but that's a line I told you I won't cross."

She balked at him, "Not even if I agree to your plan right now?"

Seifer rolled his eyes before looking back towards her, "He'd kill me if I did, and then our agreement would be a moot point. Self-serving asshole, remember? I want my part of the agreement and you can't testify for a dead man."

"I don't know if I can agree to this," she whispered.

"Rinoa-" Seifer leaned towards her as his uncut blonde hair fell in front of his eyes, "Something to consider, but you can always learn the facts and decide what you want to do with them later. If you're so fucking hell bent on following that moron to your own death, you can be my guest. My advice to you is this, only fight for yourself, not for others. You will live longer that way. Trust me. I learned the hard way when I woke up finding myself on the wrong side."

Rinoa didn't miss the twitch at the corner of his mouth as he fought the urge to say something more. If she had to bet, it would have been some snide remark to distract her what was said, but it was already to late. It was the closest thing she had ever heard to him admitting he was at fault, drawing in the words Squall had spoken to her on the balcony.

_He has many regrets, Rinoa. That much I know._

"Just think about the offer that's on the table," Seifer implored her before falling on to an errant thought. "Did you know Squall keeps a safe in his room here?"

She gave him a shrug as a response, "So?"

"Twenty seven cameras for this apartment alone. Retina and DNA scanners… What do you think is kept hidden in there?"

He was baiting her. Rinoa internally groaned at seeing the lengths he was willing to go to.

"You're suggesting that I break in," she blanched at the idea.

Seifer scoffed slightly as he turned his back to her, throwing his coat in a corner to head towards the weight room, "Think about the offer."

Swallowing thickly, she resumed the work out she had started, but was unable to pull her mind away from words spoken. Seeing Seifer's hand shouldn't have been surprising. In no way did she ever think that he was capable of accepting his fate, but she never anticipated on having mixed emotions of her behalf. Could she really consider this? Was it even moral of her to contemplate such an offer? Rinoa's gaze turned towards the knight, lifting weights effortlessly in the corner.

He was someone she could not figure out for the life of her and that incensed her. If there had been any real concern for her future it was well masked in self-perseverance leaving room to not trust him. Since his indecent proposition, one question was rattling around in her head. How much of her following him through time was an accident?

Leonhart agreed to her staying on condition of her helping, by taking her life off the table for his safe return. No other deal had been struck otherwise, and now finding out about the bangle there was only leading to more questions that lacked answers.

Why does he not want to change the past so badly?

What was she missing?

By seven o'clock, food had automatically been delivered to the dinning room without a single soul being seen. Neither guests had much of an appetite, despite knowing how beneficial it would be for them gather their strength now while food was plentiful. With plates loaded up with grilled fish, pasta, and vegetables, they remained silent while rearranging the food on their plates. There were a million questions she wanted to ask the blonde knight but the words wouldn't come through. Hyne only knew if he would even answer her seriously anyway.

She retired early that night after realizing Squall wouldn't be returning anytime soon. She desperately tried not to recall the video feed she had witness or think of what the missing mercenary might be doing right now. Instead, she helped herself to his closet once more trying to ignore the black safe hidden in the back corner. Grabbing only what she needed, she left his room with a pair of boxers and a small white t-shirt. She only hesitated for a second before closing the door behind her.

* * *

_** Ooo000ooo ** _

* * *

The world around her was gradually tumbling away. Somewhere between awake and dreaming, Rinoa felt her heartbeat start to accelerate in a desperate bid to free itself from her rib caged. The sound was beginning to overwhelm her senses, silencing all else around her. She could no longer hear the ceiling fan over her bed, or the sound of her breath leaving her lips, just the sound of her own heart beating in her ears.

Waves of all-consuming heat erupted through her nerve endings, causing prickling sensations from her fingers to her toes. Her body tried to move away from painful feeling, but there was no escape from it.

Oh and did she try.

Without meaning to, her body convulsed, wrenching her from the dream like state to a world she had a hard time understanding. Flashes of the room she expected to be in melded into memories of her past, or maybe it was her future? It was all too quick for her to know for sure, as her stomach twisted from the vertigo forced upon her. Her body slammed into a wall, shocking her senses to life once more.

When had she stood up?

Her own sweat profusely rolled down her chest and stomach as her body maintained its infernal fever.

Had she stripped?

She felt the cold air from the ceiling fan above collide against her blistering skin, sending new and devastating pain throughout her system, making her cry in agony.

Her fingers clawed at the wall for dear life, praying for the world around her to stop tearing her apart as too many realities waged war with each other. Each image disoriented her from which way was up or where the safety of the floor was.

There was no safe place to escape to when your mind was your own enemy. One moment she was in a field, only to be suddenly in the darkest part of space, all alone and terrified. Then there was the feeling of nothingness. A void where nothing existed before white light of a mid-day sun scorched her mind.

And that sound and that pain… She clawed at her own chest, feeling the pulsing of blood that flooded her ears. All she wanted to do was end it. To feel the peace and quiet return at any cost, which meant putting raised red scrapes on her chest from where her fingernails dug deep.

Strong arms abruptly picked her up from her middle, crashing her weight against another as a desperate fight ensued. The hands restrained her arms as she was dragged across the hallway into the bathroom kicking and screaming. The movements were too fast and sent her world into a dizzying array that she couldn't recover from.

Abandoning her all at once, her strength and the contents of her stomach gave way as someone held her tightly with one hand, and held her hair back tightly with the other.

Her body convulsed in excruciating movements at the release, but no matter how jarring the movements were, the hands supporting her never failed to compensate for it. Her eyes were clenched shut as tears managed to squeeze their way through. It seemed it would never end, despite not having more to give. How much longer could she go before that thrashing in her chest would stop?

"Stop fighting it. It makes it worse."

Those words made it through the hellish storm her heart was causing, instantly quelling it. Still dry heaving, her hands found their use and finally grabbed the toilet seat cover below her. Slowly she was able to support herself, but the hands holding on to her flesh remained until her body became still.

Sluggishly, she opened her eyes to a world still bleeding in and out of focus. Her head had taken a beating, and she was still unsure of where she was, or what time she was in. It was then her body started to shiver, feeling the cold as all the heat left at once. She was now cold and broken as tears streaked down her face.

Hands dropped from her waist as the presence that supported her through her ordeal disappeared. There was no way to know if it had been only for a moment or several days but at some point the sobering aura returned, setting a glass on the sink for her.

The same hands that rescued her now eased her backwards into a corner so she could fall back against the wall for support. Her mind was playing tricks on her as Squall backed away and slid down on the opposite side of the room from her, clad in nothing more than grey thin sweats pants and a troubled expression.

He watched her wearily for a moment, as she did the same. His face kept changing from the Squall of her time to the Leonhart of the future. She shivered harder once she realized she was in nothing more than a black bra and old pair of boxers. Her arms contorted around herself in a bid for modesty, but she still failed to get full control over her own limbs and had to settle on just covering her stomach.

Cold blue eyes watched her relentlessly.

Callous steel resolve reflected back towards her.

How long had they sat there she couldn't track.

Her bottom lip dropped to speak but trembled so badly that she crushed them back together. She wanted to know if what she was seeing was real or was she still in bed dreaming?

"Has this happen before?" he asked from the darkness. His voice was soft. Just like it had been once.

She wanted to close her eyes and pretend for a moment that it was her Squall, but she was too petrified that she would be swept away again if she tried.

She managed to give short nod affirming what he seemed to already know.

"How many times?" The kind voice implored her, "Once? Twice? Three times?'

She just nodded.

Frustrated, the soft voice gained an edge as it chastised her, "No. I need to know exactly how many times."

She struggled to even speak, and the word that came out sounded strangled and guttural, "…Twice…."

His body slumped back slightly as he regarded her closely. His fingers reaching for his scar as he slowly breathed out. He only did that when he was worried. Leonhart was worried. Worried about her?

"Do you understand why this keeps happening?" he asked her.

She leaned her head heavily against the wall as she unapologetically traced over every surface of him. Etching over every line, and every contour until it remained in her memory. She was in the future and she finally placed him. The two intertwine Squalls faded after that realization. His shoulders had never looked that broad, nor had he ever looked so handsome.

His worry sunk in as he called out again, "Rinoa?"

Her eyes reached up once more, finally seeing the face of her former lover with dark circles under his eyes. A few silvering strands hung in his face as he evaluated her.

"…Growing pains," she whispered, her voice cracking from the dryness.

Reacting to her, Leonhart pulled himself to his knees to grab the glass he had previously set down on the sink and offered it to her. She tried to raise her hands to take the glass, but there was no control over the shaking, and he moved the glass to her lips to ease it into her mouth.

Warm fluid inundated her mouth, making her choke slightly from the sour taste.

"Warm lemon tea with ginger," Squall supplied easing it back to her lips in encouragement. "It use to help settle your stomach."

Sipping it again, it strangely did have the affect he described, and after a moment her fingers found a way to grasp around the glass taking it from him.

She managed to take a few sips by herself until she felt the warmth of his hand brushing her hair away, only to rest on her forehead. It was shocking enough to make her drop the glass, but the ex-SeeD's reflex was impeccable and caught it before anything could be spilt.

His gaze remained lowered as he spoke, "You had a fever spike, but it's been broken for a while now. The worst is over."

Her hand reached out for his involuntarily to keep him from pulling away. The sudden contact forced his eyes to meet her in concern.

"First time… I was alone," she whispered, afraid of the sound of her own voice. "I thought I was being possessed again… or maybe was dying."

Leonhart looked down at his hands as his brows drew together.

"Then it happened again on a train," she continued. "Zell was there… He pieced it together. I was growing stronger."

"It keeps getting worse… each time…." She tried to move her body but failed. "I feel like my heart will give out each time…."

"It will taper off."

Something about his voice told her that was the truth, and she nodded appreciating his honesty.

"How many times… have you been through this…?" She wanted to know how many more times she would have to endure this kind of pain, only to become more insane with each passing.

"Nine times," he recounted before lifting his head enough for their eyes to meet in the darkness. "That I was present for at least. The fourth time it happened was the worst of it… then it got gradually easier."

"But I lost a little of my mind after every time," she whispered staring off into space. Leonhart never looked away from her, but the refusal to answer the questions lead to her believe the worst.

"It's so unfair." She let out a sad weak laugh. "It looks like the best times I had with you... were robbed from me. If we succeed… will I get that missing part of my life back?"

He raised a hand placing it over his mouth protectively. "I don't know. Depends on a lot of things I can't control."

She wanted to dig for more information behind that but her brain wouldn't cooperate as it spin off into thousand other questions, "Despite all the pain I have caused you… Are you happy now Leonhart?"

His eyes narrowed at the question as he bit his nail pondering where the question was leading.

"She's… nice…," Rinoa tried the word out for size, but couldn't filter the rest of the thought from coming out. "I hate her because she is nice."

"Don't."

"A perfect match," her words kept going, despite one side of her screaming at her to stop. "Pretty. Smart. SeeD. Loyal. Trusting. Not a sorceress. Not me."

The list could have gone on and on but she became too tired to keep going out loud.

Lines deepened in his face as he rubbed his forehead with more than emotion than she was used to seeing from him, "It's not fair for you to judge me."

"I'm not," she whispered as she watched him bite his lip in disagreement. "I'm just in love with someone who will one day move on from me…. I can't let the past go so easily. Not knowing why or how we fell out of love…."

His eyes closed at hearing that.

"I'm a fighter Leonhart. You need to tell me if I should stop fighting for you."

The world was spinning around her once again, forcing her to lean her face against the wall to ground her. The pounding in her chest wasn't from her powers anymore, but from the way Leonhart was looking back at her with his penetrating soul questioning hers. If only he would just talk to her instead of keeping it all in. Maybe then she would know what to do with herself.

"Do you love her?"

There couldn't have been a better question to ask Leonhart to make him grow despondent. The arches of his brow lower making the lines in his forehead deepen as he reacted to sting of her question. Leaning into his hand for support as well as a place to hide his voice finally had the decency to answer.

"I'm not sure, but I want to."

That was all that he stated in a calm collected voice that matched the SeeD's movements as he rose to his feet to collect her off the ground.

Swinging one arm over his shoulder, he kept his professionalism by diverting his eyes away from her scandalous state. She had to lean against his body for support and for the first time since the day she had arrived here, he held her up right in what almost felt like an embrace.

If he wasn't the same man from her time, he sure physically fooled her senses. His callous hands were hot on her skin sending waves of tremors through her. She liked how his fingers felt as they carved into her side and his labored breath on her shoulder as he stabilized their balance.

She only accomplished two steps before she looked up at him tiredly. With her bedroom door in front of her, she felt compelled to ask him one more thing, "Why don't you want me to know about the Odine Bangle?"

Her dark eyes searched his rugged face, plagued by stubble that shaded his face in the darkness. The horror in the ice blue eyes of his was impossible for her to miss in the darkness.

Her gaze fell downward to the sight of her hand smoothing its self over his naked chest realizing what that distracting sound was.

"Leonhart, why is your heart racing?"

* * *

_**ooo000ooo** _

* * *

A knock on the door pulled the sorceress from the deepest sleep that had ever claimed her, as Seifer's raspy voice growled from behind the deep nocks.

"Rolling out in ten minutes, hurry your ass up!"

Raising herself up on to her elbows, she let the exhaustion she felt take a back seat to the burning pain the early morning sun caused her eyes. The heaviness of sleep was slow to roll off of her, leaving her to question the night's events that could have left her in this state.

She threw her legs over the edge of the bed as hazy memories started to work its way out of the fog in a dizzying array of images.

She had another one of those attacks.

From her clutching the wall of the room to being face down over the edge of a toilette, it was all coming back to her. Only one small piece was remaining a mystery.

She raised one eyebrow questioned how she ended up wearing a grey t-shirt of a lion mascot from a local Esthar high school sports team, to being carefully tucked back into bed. She swallowed back an embarrassed gasp that threatened to come out as another loud bang landed on her door.

"Heartilly, are you alive in there?"

"Yes!" she snapped at the door inadvertently, covering her chest like she was naked. "I heard you the first time, okay? Ten minutes! I'll be there!"

There was no mistaking the grumbling of swear words as Seifer slammed his fist into the door one more time making her jump, "Leonart is down stairs having the car pulled around. Get your shit together!"

Rinoa pouted when bits and pieces of memories of Leonhart's arms pulling her into the bathroom came forward. That ultimately led her to remember their late night conversation, which caused her to groan in embarrassment. Why did she have to remember all that? It was mortifying to say at the least, forcing her to let out a small cry and sink her head onto her hand. And to think, what she couldn't remember was how she got the t-shirt one or going to sleep. It was as if…

It was as if someone had casted a sleep spell against her will!

Her jaw tensed as she nearly pulled her hair out in utter frustration. She had asked him about the bangle. She could feel the fear resounding in his chest and that was when her world dissolved into darkness.

 _The nerve of that asshole_ , she scoffed. It was her mistake for under estimating him and from now on she was going to ward herself against status spells. Two could play this game!

She flew out of the room like a flying Thrustavis out of hell, ignoring the fact that Seifer was leaning against the wall with a curious, albeit not enough to ask, expression on his face.

Was Seifer right all along about trying to appease Leonhart? After all, if she wasn't willing to fight for herself who else would?

Storming towards Leonhart's room, she wasted no time throwing his closet doors open in order to get back to where his safe was buried.

"About time," Seifer mused as Rinoa squatted down to look at the worn keypad.

Impatient she demanded, "What's the code?"

Seifer shrugged leaning against the doorframe with one arm stretched over his head, "How should I know? Some of the numbers are more worn than the others. Try combinations of them."

She looked back at Seifer distressed, "How the hell am I supposed to try all the combinations when I only have a few minutes?"

"Not my problem," Seifer shrugged in confusion.

Her attention snapped back to him, "You want a testimony that will save you than you better start working with me here!"

"What the hell do you want me to do? Pull a number out of my ass? You're the sorceress! Figure it out or blow it to pieces! I don't care!"

Her attention suddenly grew more serious as her attention refocused on the worn keypad, "How old do you think this thing is?"

Seifer squinted, wondering what she had stumbled on too, "Pretty old. The whole world uses retina and DNA scanners for locks now-"

"Like old enough to be from his days as a cadet?" Rinoa questioned, reading the familiar numbers.

Seifer paused, seeing Rinoa starting to work something out in her head.

He questioned partly amazed, "You think you know it?"

"Just a hunch," she responded, engrossed in keypad. Her mind traveled back in time to when she first met the SeeD and asked for a tour of the garden, also asking to see his room. Her lean fingers punched the numbers of his old dorm number in and waited for three breaths for the safe's interworking to recede back.

"You figured it out on the first try," Seifer mused pretty surprised. Truthfully she was as well. Unable to waste any more time, she pulled the safe door opened to a mostly unoccupied safe. Three old plain manila envelopes were all that it held.

Pulling them out she started to flip through them wildly looking for clues, "What am I looking for?"

"I'm not sure," Seifer conceded as he walked over towards her bending down to read over her shoulder.

She turned to him dismayed, "Are you kidding me? I might be doing this for nothing?"

"I just had a hunch, okay?" he scowled, not appreciating her attitude.

A paper of a different consistency fluttered from the folder to rest by Rinoa's feet. Folded into thirds, it was of a heavier stock then normal print outs. More like something like an official document would be on. Rinoa set the folder down and picked up the sheet to unfold it as her heart stopped beating upon seeing the legal words in old script.

Seifer grinned like a cadet winning his very first spar, "I fucking knew it! Read that! What does it say right there!"

Frozen, she starred at the signatures inscribed on the old document issued by Winhill from nineteen years ago. Seeing it, she wanted to throw up all over again, but she knew nothing was in her system to make good on that action. Instead she sat there as the man behind her celebrated but she couldn't hear any of it over the screaming in her own head.

"It's marriage certificate," she breathed out the words in disbelief.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good and negative feedback is welcomed!


	10. Chapter 10: Nothing Left to Lose

Beta:lylyRin

ooo000ooo

Chapter 10: Nothing Left to Lose

oo000ooo

Dark clouds let the sound of thunder roll through as a wall of cascading water inundated Rinoa. Much like her personal life, the white SeeD ship struggled to maintain buoyancy as it sliced through treacherous waters on its way to Fisherman Ruins. She too felt like she was drowning in the sea of information that threatened to sink her with one misstep. For much of the day she had to carry the emotional burden in the duffel bag over her shoulder. It was only a piece of paper but every step she took seemed to take more effort because of it. Just knowing it was there and knowing she could not react to the information she had found, was painful. Especially when it meant many hours in Squall's presence trying to do anything but think of him.

Truly, she thought she would drown.

Being on the White SeeD ship once more was surreal. It seemed as if time had forgotten it by the way it looked. Nearly every original detail remained in place since the last time she had been on board. It didn't take a genius to know it was likely its commander's preference to leave the ship untouched.

However walking the decks once more delivered a far different feeling than nostalgia for Rinoa. Being on board was more like being a ghost than actually being alive. Not even one of the White SeeDs on board acknowledged her presence as they bored earlier that morning. It defied human nature for not even one of them to glance her way, even if it was out of morbid curiosity rather than fear. In a way it was too unsettling to have such neutrality come from the people who worked to defeat her at her own war. It was the strange detachment from reality that left her feeling less than human.

The situation gave her way too much time alone with her thoughts, and with that, she was finding that her anger was brewing like the storm they were heading into.

She gripped the ships railing as the ship pitched dangerously forward, giving her a good view of the rough seas below.

A hand grasped her shoulder suddenly as if she were at risk of going overboard, "Careful Mrs. Leonhart. I can't have my star witness plunging to her death."

Being forced to face Seifer now only escalated the foul mood she was in. Rinoa forcefully pulled her shoulder back from his grasp as beads of water trailed down her face.

Her voice hit a new low as she got in his face, "Last warning. Stop calling me that."

The crashing rain did little to deter the demonic ex-knight from following her above deck. Since their initial break-in, she could always feel his eyes persistently on her trying to gage emotional where she was with the information they had unearthed. No matter how hard she had tried loose him, the ship was only so big and avoiding a confrontation was never Seifer's strong suit. It was only time before they clashed once more.

"What's wrong?" Seifer taunted over a crack of thunder, "Wasn't this everything you ever wanted? You've saved the world with your idealism while being rescued by the white knight. Isn't it enough to know he will promise the eternal happiness you've always craved?"

Her teeth clenched down as she strained to restrain herself from giving into to his taunting. Instead she looked out to the roaring sea that threatened to claim them.

Maybe if she had allowed herself to dream of a future for them it would have had a happily ever after ending. Admittedly, it would be like her to dream of an everlasting love that included a certificate like the one the pulled from the safe.

The only problem was she had never let herself go that far, out of fear she would never find him. Now it was blatantly obvious she had made the right choice back then because finding out about some of the missing pieces of her life created bitterness that was almost too much to bear. There was so much of her life that was robbed from her when she had awoken in a world that had forgotten his existence.

Seeing that marriage certificate had an unstabilizing effect on her. Seeing his very defined handwriting scrawled next to her name that attached his surname to her was proof of the good days she had lost. Furthermore, it was a decree of his feelings that he never had the chance to tell her in person and how it would all fall apart. The last part was evident when Rinoa noticed the marriage certificate was missing the court's official seal.

The marriage hadn't been recognized, not official. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't having a difficult time coping with the fact that there were no other answers in that safe as to why their life had slipped away.

"So what do you think the reason was for him to run?" Seifer asked grabbing the railing as the ship rolled with the waves, "There was a few bets going on in garden that he was gay-"

"Does the reason really matter?" Rinoa stated bitterly, wiping the water away her face

Ignoring her, Seifer invaded the little personal space she had left by leaning in to mutter, "Or maybe the SeeD couldn't go against the institution in the end."

Rinoa looked away into the blustering winds that pelted her with rain.

There was that.

She would be lying to herself if she tried to deny the thought hadn't been lingering on her mind every time she caught a glimpse of the current White SeeD Leader. It was the most logical explanation, despite her deep denial. Quistis even mentioned that the SeeD organization often came between them, and now Rinoa thought back to her own conversation with Cid before they realize Squall had disappeared. Cid had wanted Garden to disassociate from her powerful new status, but at the time she hadn't thought about the underlying meaning in his message and how far it may have gone.

"Did you know?" She asked needing the truth.

Seifer huffed while burying his hands deep into his pockets, "No one's ever mentioned anything remotely like that. Doubt that kind of shit could be kept from the public. That would've sparked a fucking debate that's for damn sure."

Rinoa's features fell as she realized that he was right, "Guess, we've figure out his reason then."

Turning away to find shelter, the one thing she couldn't hide from was the truth. No matter what the reason was for Leonhart not to go through with it, in the end there would always be a million other reasons going against them.

That night the ship rocked Rinoa into a deep sleep that she couldn't awaken from. So many of them were her reliving the past as she ran from monsters, and fought countless battles with solders whom all look the same. She could hear Ultimecia from the darkness around her and feel the phantom pains from the staggering injuries she had once inflicted on them. Still, these haunting memories gave her a certain peace, because when she looked over, she knew whom she would see. He would be in a fur lined leather jacket, with his arm stretched out in protection. Squall would be there. Her Knight, her protector, and more importantly, the one her heart refused to forget.

Ooo000ooo

Shrugging her duffel bag over her leather cladded shoulder, Rinoa walked out to where everyone had gathered upon the ships arrival to Fisherman Ruins. The rain had reduced from its roaring glory into a fine mist that seemed to coat everything around them with silver droplets that couldn't even penetrate their clothing.

Leonhart stood with Seifer looking out into the distance speaking in hushed tones that vanished as Rinoa grew near. It was no use in questioning what they were discussing, so instead she directed herself to the horizon where the morning sun just begun to filter through the dilapidated skyline.

Fisherman Ruins. The name had said it all, but until seeing it for herself she couldn't really comprehend it. The city had grown substantially since the day Balamb garden had crashed into it.

"When Esthar had opened its borders, hoards of displaced people moved west. Fisherman Horizon had to build floating additions for the tourist that came but never left." Lani's voice explained upon seeing Rinoa's face darken.

It must have been an impressive sight in the past, but now all that remained was large gaps where buildings once stood and salt water had battered structures that waved precariously in the wind. Smoke grew from the uncontrolled fires throughout the city causing a slight haze to the air that irritated her lungs.

It was a ghost city that seemed uninhabitable except for one section in the distance. A steel skeleton had been built over a portion of the city and was projected a blue shield. It hummed with an energy that charged the air around them, sending shiver down her spine. Work was being done on a new section that jetted over a razed part of the city in the north. Trabia Garden could be seen looming in the background, as if a silent warning to anyone who'd wish to attack the city.

"Tilmitt wanted to meet out here?" Seifer questioned looking out at the rubble in distance. Clearly he had been hoping for a warm bed with food that didn't come out of a bag.

Squall nodded but the concern on his face was readable as he spoke, "I have the same reservations."

Seifer looked at Rinoa acknowledging her presence for a second before looking back at Squall, "Figures, with Rinoa here. Tilmitt wouldn't want her to walk on the same ground as her precious students."

Take a breath Rinoa let took the jab in stride, "Are we doing this?"

Leonhart didn't reply as he studied the decimated city with uncertainty.

"Not like we have any choice right?" Seifer slapped Leonhart's back.

Rinoa watched as the ex-commander leaned on the railing with his hair covered with tiny beads of water that casted off the silver morning light. Deep in thought, it occurred to her that his concern was greater than just an uncomfortable meeting. With such look of trepidation, Rinoa almost wondered if it was better to go back to her cabin to bring her weapon after all.

"We won't have much time here before our ship is noticed," Lani said following Seifer's lead, "As much as I agree this may be a setup, I see no other alternatives. Let's do what we came to do."

"A setup?" Rinoa question as she shot a look towards Leonhart.

Collecting himself, he refused to look at her as he answered, "We won't know until we find out."

Ooo000ooo

The meeting space was an old warehouse just outside the protective barrier that shielded the residence of the defunct city. When entering the decrepit building, Rinoa couldn't shake the feeling like they were walking into an impending battle rather than a meeting between old friends.

Crushing the rubble they walked on, Leonhart appeared to have the same unsettling feeling as his eyes scanned over every exit point like he was going over emergency plans in his head. He paused in the center of the room unwilling to make another move. His brutally cold eyes glanced to Rinoa for a moment before side tracking to Seifer, who pushed passed him and spun in a circle casually. It was painfully clear to all of them that there were no signs of life, let alone a threat to speak of.

This was far from what she had expected for a meeting between a Garden official and a future power hungry sorceress like herself. There were no SeeDs securing the perimeter, or a security force to check them for weapons.

"Not a setup at least, " Lani spoke first with her hand still on the hilt of her gunblade.

"Think this is what it feels like to be stood up, right Leonhart?" Seifer barbed, as Squall remained cold to the comment.

"Uncle Squall!" a young voice reverberated through the empty hall.

The entire team turned towards a small door, and as efficiently as one would expect from SeeD mercenaries, each one of them drew their weapons and moved to shield Rinoa. Embarrassingly enough, she just stood there kind of dumbfounded by the overreaction to what sounded like a warm greeting.

It was nearly impossible to see around the group, but as Rinoa shifted back and forth she caught a tall silhouette walking towards them without fear. The voice was younger but oddly familiar to her in some way. By the way the approaching person had called out to them, it was pretty safe to say that the he hadn't come there to harm them. All the same, the group remained on edge.

Rinoa attempted to move in for a better look she until she was met with a firm scowl from Seifer to stay put. Shooting a displeased glance back, all she could do was sigh and try to hear the exchange between them.

With his gunblade lowering, Leonhart walked forward in a dire attempt to see the dark figure, "Fin?"

From between the two bodies that shielded her, Rinoa could see a teenage boy was jogging towards them. His tall frame was already towering over Leonhart's but it was a subtle shift from Lani that allowed Rinoa to see the boy's face for a split second, but that was all that was need to know who this boy was.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she sorted which features the boy inherited from Selphie or his father Irvine. The height was a given, but his facial features weren't easy to pick apart from where she was. The only thing certain was how good looking Selphie's future child was. A smile crossed her face thinking of how over the moon Selphie would be to know that.

"Fin, where is your mother?" Leonhart asked. A trace of anger was not lost in his voice.

The teen ignored Leonhart's question, as he gave his assumed uncle a half hug, "About that… She said she wasn't willing to meet with you."

Squall pulled the entranced teen away forcefully but the reaction did little to intimidate the smiling teen.

"What?" Leonhart questioned the teen while tightening his grip on the teen's shoulder, "After all of that? She gave me her word! She promised me five minutes-!"

"Actually…. I promised you the five minutes." The boy named Fin admitted already preparing for what he knew would come.

Squall blinked a few times in dismay, "You?"

The boy seemed to have expected that their meeting would go down fast, "She denied your request the moment I said your name. I wasn't even allowed to give her your message before she blew you off. When you told me your plan- and about the sorceress from the past- I knew she had to –"

"I was talking to you? I was under the impression I was talking to your mother through her secured link!" Leonhart blasted before further pushing the point, "You impersonated your mother to a senior for confidential information!"

She could hear the boy laugh suddenly, impressing Rinoa to no end at how calm he was in the face of Leonhart's anger, "If she didn't want me to hack her secured link than she shouldn't have taught me to how to hack in the first place."

Furious at being at the other end of a fearless teenager, Leonhart drew him closer in an attempt to privately speak to the teen, "Are you aware of what you've done? What this means for your career?"

"Since when do I give a shit about SeeD?" The teen balked, "You of all people know that this isn't where I want to be! My maniac mother forced me here-"

"This is you're only warning to address the leader of the White SeeD's properly." Sarvis interrupted bringing their attention to the fact that they weren't alone.

The teen seemed to take the warning in stride, retrying once more to remember proper protocol, "Sir, I felt obligated to do what is right, even if that meant going outside of SeeD protocol. Something I learned to do from an early age from my mentor."

Bored Rinoa raised an eyebrow at that. Leonhart drew an angry breath but was cut off by the teen before Leonhart had the chance to remind the teen why there were protocols in the first place.

"Sir, you wanted to come here to tell my mother of a plan that would save the world, but her personal feelings dictated her answer to you. I comprehend the emotional strains meeting the sorceress would have on her, but I question her capability to make rational decisions. I can't let an opportunity to get revenge be wasted based off of personal feelings."

The word revenged sliced through the air making more than Rinoa just cringe. The entire group felt the uncomfortable coldness in the teen's words and whom it was directed towards. Perhaps it was because Seifer shifted a fraction of a millimeter or perhaps it was a facial twinge by Leonhart towards the comment. Whatever it was, something alerted the SeeD trained teen to the fact that something was amiss.

Fin's voice echoed insecurely, "What?"

There it was, a heartbeat before she knew what would come. She closed her eyes knowing there had to be a reason why she was hiding behind the group like an embarrassment.

The boy's attention snapped back to the group that had largely been ignored until now. As the boy shifted to look around them, Squall quickly pushed the boy back, "Fin, stand down. That's an order from your superior."

"You actually brought her with you," Fin's voice had dropped a register and all emotion drained from his face as he ignored his supposed uncle, "She's really here…. You brought her back from the past."

"I said stand down!" Leonhart's voice shattered the silence of the room with its echo, making everyone jump. Even Rinoa could feel herself shake from ire Leonhart was displaying, but still it had no effect on the teen as a scuffle broke out between them.

Sarvis jumped into the fray just as Seifer pulled Rinoa securely behind him and went into a defensive stance.

Rinoa could hear Fin fight hard against the people who protected her as he shouting in agony, "Why? Why should I have to stand down?!"

"Don't make me hurt you, Fin. That's the last thing I want," Squall warned.

Rinoa saw Sarvis cast a scan quickly on the aggravated teen as he struggled with his uncle, "He's junction with Shiva and has status protection in place!"

"Tell me what you're thinking right now, Fin." Leonhart quickly moved into talking the boy down, but instead the teen flailed harder.

"Damn it let me go! I'm not going to hurt her!" Eli said pushing against Sarvis, "I just want to see her for myself!"

"Fin that woman isn't here," Leonhart growled through his teeth in a desperate bid to subdue the teen without having to take him down. "This woman is innocent of any wrongdoing. You know she's here to help us-"

"She's still going to end up killing my brother! I just want to see her for myself!" the boy cried back at his uncle in anger.

Watching the scene evolved dramatically like that, Rinoa knew there was a reason for the group dynamic to shift into a protective one as they had. Yet, nothing could have prepared her to hear those words coming from him... Fin's brother? Another one of Selphie and Irvine's children was a victim of hers?

Ice settled in her veins as the information started to slowly over take her. She could feel her breaths starting to deregulate as she desperately tried to keep her mind from going to a dark place. The goal was impossible, though, because all she could think of was Selphie and Irvine, as she knew them. The sweet couple that always had her back through her search for Squall no matter what opposition they faced. Always the optimistic pair, they never failed to give a word of encouragement when she wanted to break down. Or in the case of Irvine, remind her to smile once in a while with a naughty joke. Together they had gotten themselves into some sticky situation but Rinoa trusted them with her life to get her out… And this is how she will one day repay them?

Her stomach turned in on itself as heat stung her eyes. Rinoa pulled away from Seifer and took a step around him instantly ceasing all the fighting in one unpredicted move. It was the first time she could really see the boy…. Fin. Her eyes threatened to spill over with tears instantly at seeing his face. He looked just like his father from the time period she was familiar with the exception of long wavy locks his were laired short with a deeper brown much like his mothers.

"Is what he said true?" Rinoa asked to no one in particular.

Whether it was the sound of her voice or her pleading ignorant, it seemed to startle the boy into falling back.

Squall didn't turn around to look at her but it was clear that he had heard the question. For a second he seemed to fight with himself on how to respond, but after a few breaths he knew there was no way to suppress the issue anymore. She wanted him to turn around and say something directly to her but instead he kept silent.

"So much for sparing her, Leonhart." Seifer spouted off genuinely pissed off at the SeeD.

Fin, who stood awestruck, finally could move again after getting a look at her through the people who guarded her.

"You're trying to tell me that you had no idea," Fin started towards Rinoa until he nearly collided with Seifer.

Seifer pushed the boy back, aggressively looking for a fight, "Take one step closer to her and you are going to be meet the ugly side of my right fist, understand?"

It was enough of a threat that the boy stood back until he was suddenly swept away with a new revelation.

"You…" The boy stammered as he scanned the brute from head to toe, "I've seen pictures of you before…. You're-"

"The historical fuck up that's going to take you out if you take one step closer," Seifer once more warned the teen that gazed back in revulsion.

The tension in Leonhart's body released when he turned around and his eyes accidently caught hers. Something in her expression must have said all the words her voice couldn't have. Suddenly no one else was in the room with them as he took steps towards her wanting to explain until she took a few steps back to compensate. Releasing a troubled breath, an overwhelmed expression flooded his desperate eyes for a flash before he was able to blink it away and replace it with a more neutral one.

Shaking his head he held out his hand for her cooperation, "I know what's running through your heading, but it's not what you think-"

"That you two planned to keep this a secret from me?" She was shaking like a leaf now from the disgust she felt as her eyes dropped to the floor. She wanted to scream at them even more, but she just couldn't find the steady words, or a coherent thought in the chaos of emotions that barraged her all at once.

She thought she was much stronger than this. After so many days of keeping it together she thought she was above running away, but in a rash second she gave into her primal urge to flee. Turning her back she ignored the warnings about her safety, it was laughable for her to even worry about that when she was ready fall apart.

Squall looked back to the teenager who kept his watchful gaze on her as rushed towards the exit, "I'll deal with you later."

"I still mean what I said. I want to talk to her!" Fin shouted forcing Squall to give an exasperated look from the request.

"Quit while your ahead kid." Seifer derailed the kid by pulling him along with Sarvis to the other side of the room.

Rinoa quicken her pace when she heard steps gaining on her. Ignoring his pleas she found her way out into the open streets where the sun now was peeping through grey clouds.

The pain in her heart was beginning to override the strength to carry her forward. Gripping her chest she could feel a sob escape her lips that forced her to her knees in one crippling movement. Landing hard on the ground, she cursed out loud as another deep sob threatened to tear through her chest to get out.

It was cruel irony to feel his hand on her back for support. It only made her want to scream and cuss out at him even more. The last thing she needed was his pity. She certainly didn't deserve it. The plan was to show him how she had changed. How she had sought for him, changed in order to save him, and now she questioned her own power to get through this in one piece.

With the emotional toll beginning to tip the scale, being repeatedly lied to only to later find out how truly perverse and evil she would become was making her weak to the point she wanted just disappear. She had underestimated how much she could possibly change. Perhaps some how she still held out hope that here was some humanity left in her that she couldn't betray. But killing her own friend's child? The idea left her fractured and broken.

As he kneeled down he attempted to turn her towards him, but she resisted pushing him off while her body heaved with tears. Undeterred by the rejection, he forcibly grabbed her to pull her towards him. Just like that, she snapped. Feeling the resentment and anger boil up behind the palm of her hand, it met his face in a brutal smack.

Her brain raced to catch up to what her body had done and instantly she gasped in remorse as his head jerked to the side with his eyes clenching shut. His lips fastened together as a welt on his textured skin already began to rise.

Rinoa covered the loud gasp already mortified by the reaction as looked back towards her.

It was two breaths before Rinoa could speak once more in a near muted voice, "I- I'm so sorry…"

Like the good SeeD he was, Leonhart hardly reacted to the slap and raised his hand for her to cease.

"I might've earned that over the last few days," He admitted in a low voice only meant for her ears, "Let's just agree to use our words for the rest of this."

Well, there was no way she was going to get out of this now, but it was effective in find a way for her to stop crying. As Rinoa swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat she agreed with a small nod.

Squall pointed a crumbling retaining wall to serve as a neutral territory for the both of them. Standing up, Rinoa did not miss the fact that the former commander shifted his jaw a bit, breaking from the unfazed façade.

She was the first one to sit down, as she dropped her duffel bag to the ground by her feet. She was still feeling the knots in her stomach from the burning contact she had with his skin, and much to her chagrin it only grew as he took a spot close to her.

The white SeeD clasped his hands together while leaning to place all of his weight on his knees. With his head down it was hard to see through the strands of his thick hair, but she could see his lips perfectly as he started to attempt something close to an apology.

"I never thought you needed to be tortured by the truth," He spoke suddenly looking up to her as if that would be enough for her to understand everything, except that the part of her brain could hardly even connect the words to their meaning when his blue eyes ripped into her like so.

He continued on with his voice struggling above a whisper, "I purposely haven't told you the details of the battles we fought or how many soldiers will die on either side. I have no intention on telling you about how the decisions you've made divided us all. If I did, I would have to tell you everything. That might not seem difficult, but no one deserves that kind of pain, Rinoa. Not even you. "

Just when she thought she had a control on her anger she felt its ugly claws sink in once more. Meeting his icy stare, she challenged the impenetrable shield he was trying to display.

"Except for I am finding out, Leonhart." She refuted, "Is this a better way for me to find out? Is that kind of reaction you want to see? If you think that this will chase me away you know nothing about me."

She refused to back away from him despite being so close to him that she could smell the gunblade oil residue on his hands. A unique scent that still to this day could send her hurtling into past memories.

He shifted closer with his eyes besieging her. Unexpectedly a hand went to her shoulder triggering her body to stiffen initially, "I'm not an idiot, Rinoa. The more you see the more you will want to stay. The more you realize… the more you will want to change.'

"What kind of cryptic message is that Leonhart?" She questioned boldly.

Responding to the opposition in her eyes, he took a deep breath in.

Her lips trembled as she realized how suddenly comfortable she was with his hand on her shoulder, "Has it ever occurred to you that you could be on my side Leonhart. Instead of fighting against me, you could just help me understand the world that waits for me. Give me a reason for why I can't go back and change anything because I'm tired… Tired of not knowing what kind heartache will be waiting for me in the morning."

She waited there in vain hoping he would give in and answer all the destructive questions that had been eating her alive since she had fallen into this predicament. Why did he not go through with the marriage plans? How could they fall apart and turn into enemies? What brought Rinoa to this destructive path? Why does Quistis feel Rinoa was justified in disfiguring her? What did Leonhart do to make Rinoa hate him so much she erased him from her life?

Without thinking she reached out and brushed a wild strand of hair from his eyes as she found herself admitting, "I'm scared of myself. I'm scared of this life. I'm scared of the lies you tell me. I don't know who to trust anymore."

"Can't you just trust me?" He whispered unwilling to look away.

Her eyes narrowed as she bit her lip slightly trying to understand the secret plea, "Not after this. Not with my friend's children on the line… not to mention your life."

Cold eyes fell from her just as she realized that he released her shoulder and shifted from her grasp.

Rinoa scowled at him as felt the flash of anger rolled in like a tidal wave, "Right. It's like that then. You think a world where I become a monster is so much better than the alternative. I killed Selphie's son for Hyne's sake Leonhart! Her child!"

Rinoa thrust herself up from the wall but her wrist was caught by Leonhart's hand once more. This time, there was no missing the slight flinch he gave as she turned around. A good SeeD never makes the same mistakes twice.

"It's unfair for them to blame you for Eli's death. Being SeeD herself Selphie, should know better than anyone how nothing is guaranteed on the field. Blaming you and Irvine was Selphie's way of coping. We've let her indulge in that idea for too long."

Pulling her hand from his grasp he kept going to prevent her from leaving, "You know the two were divided on their positions whether to stand with you or against you in the beginning. It took a toll on their relationship, which only amplified when Selphie took on the position of headmaster at Trabia. Eli had just graduated and opted to remain a part of Galbadian Garden's hirable special tactics teams, but Fin was four years younger, so he was transferred to Trabia to finish his education with Selphie."

His face darkened as he looked down, "Two years ago, Esthar enlisted a team to gather information on one of your army's movements towards Balamb. It seemed like a sure thing on paper, that's why Irvine sent Eli's team in the first place…"

"But it wasn't a sure thing. I was there," Rinoa stated coldly angry with herself for the weakness she was sure showing in her eyes, hatred for the pain she would cause her adopted family, and the sense of loss she was experiencing herself.

"It was war. A risk Eli knew very well knew when he became SeeD. SeeD was his identity-"

Thinking back to marriage certificate hidden in the bag by her feet, she questioned out loud, "Like it was for you?"

A childish question, yes, and Leonhart seemed to stumble on how to answer it, "It would be like if I had died in trying to save the world from Ultimecia. There would be no regret there because I was protecting what mattered. I've known Eli all his life. He felt the same."

"Selphie clearly didn't." Rinoa threw back in his face.

Exasperated by her stubbornness Leonhart conceded, "No matter what position they hold within SeeD, a mother losing a child is unbearable," He paused for a moment to look at Rinoa, as he suddenly faltered with his thoughts before having to look away. "Truthfully, I've always felt that if his life was stained on anyone's hands it was my own. When Eli was uncertain what to do after the split, I told him to remain on his own path. It proved to be the wrong advice… One I wish I could take back every day."

Rinoa sunk back to her spot on the wall, powerless to cry despite the sorrow flooding her.

"How could I have changed this much?" Her voice betraying the weakness she felt at the wound slowly causing her to bleed to death.

She didn't expect anything from him but to continue being like the stonewall they sat on, but instead he lowered his gaze to her and said, "Fear."

With that he seemed break from the momentarily lack of control and looked away from her to scan the area around him.

This was the perfect opportunity to slice into him about the bangle, his use of sleep spells against her, and the unfulfilled memento of their history in her duffel bag. They were alone in a place where he couldn't escape from her so easily, but she found herself suddenly tongue-tied.

She was afraid, she realized, afraid of finding out the reason. What if she couldn't cope? What if he lied to her again? Would she even know the difference at this point? The conversation dropped into an eerie silence until Seifer's voice rang out to shattering it.

"Time's up!" He snarled as he walked out of the warehouse, "I'm going to beat the shit out of that kid if you don't talk some sense into him."

Behind him, Fin and Sarvis followed briskly.

Squall stood up sensing trouble, "Fin?"

"Five minutes with her." Fin's green eye's locked on to Rinoa's, sending an overpowering feeling of urgency.

Sarvis tried to reason with the teen, "We're already risking everything by being here. If we stay any longer we will draw attention. With have to keep moving."

"He's withholding Tilmitt's coordinates for time with her."

"Damn it, she's still a Kennise! They aren't even divorced yet!" The kid spit at the ex-knight who whipped back towards to the kid wondering if he was kidding.

"No one gives a shit about your family drama, kid!" Seifer shouted stepping up to the kid as Sarvis looked like she had a headache from the two.

"Fin you are ordered to give me the coordinates of your mothers location and return back to your dorm where you will remain there until I release you," Squall pulled the authority card quick.

Unmoved the teen remained defiant, "For five minutes, certainly."

Rinoa's jaw nearly dropped to the floor at the disobedience, as the air developed a chill that no one could thaw.

Leonhart stormed to the teen getting in his face, "You've been spoiled because of your mother's position. I will have you court-martialed."

The boy smirked for a slight second, "It would be icing on the cake."

The intensity between the two became unbearable until Rinoa raised her own voice, "I agree to it."

Leonhart glared at her, "This isn't a joke."

"We don't have time to argue about this, Leonhart," Seifer's voice came from behind.

"The answer is no," Leonhart spun to Seifer forbidding him to say anything more.

"You can't order me around, Leonhart, " Rinoa quickly took the challenge. "He will tell us where Selphie is. Without it our mission is in jeopardy and we've got nothing."

"This is just as much for your safety as it is for him," Squall responded not looking at her.

Rinoa looked at the teen whose green hued eyes watched her with an unbreakable stare. She broke her silence towards the teen to demand, "Unjunction your GF, hand over all magic, and remove your protection wards."

The teen scoffed what seemed like an impossible request, "And be defenseless around you?"

"I thought you were a fearless SeeD by the way you stormed over here. Do what you want, but stop wasting our time. The choice is yours," Rinoa laid out sharply.

Teen hesitated looking at Leonhart, "Alone then."

Silence from Squall was never a good sign as he glared at the teen.

"Not alone," Sarvis spoke suddenly earning her own look of disapproval from Leonhart, "Supervised."

"What I need to say is private," The teen stuck to his guns.

Annoyed, Seifer blasted, "For fucks sakes… I'll watch the idiot."

Fin eyes darted to Seifer bitterly trying to weigh his options.

Seifer balked, "You afraid of the dead man, now? You got two seconds to unjunction."

Giving up, the teen's eyes shimmered that reflected light for a split second before settling back to their normal hue. To an untrained eye it would almost seem like he was lost in a daydream, but after spending long periods of time with SeeDs, Rinoa could tell he was simply removing his immunity spells.

Leonhart remained still as stone against the losing battle he was facing. Sarvis walked to him trying to break the petrified exterior, "We have to pick the battles we fight."

Shifting uncomfortably, Rinoa finally caught sight of him taking a slow breath in as he nodded. Leonhart turned back towards Rinoa.

She was managing as well as she could despite the nerves that anyone would feel given the situation, but by the way he approached her with deep concern looming in his eyes, he was still hoping for a way out of this.

"There is no reason for him to come at you Rinoa," He reminded her quietly.

A heavy sigh left her chest, "This is as much for me as it is for him. If this is going to be my fate one day, I'd like to take the opportunity to take responsibility for what I've done while I still have my sanity. If tearing me apart does anything for him than it's worth it in the end."

The look on Leonhart's face spoke of how he disagreed with that statement but there was a point in his favor for not pushing the issue further. Stepping away from her, Leonhart looked to Fin.

"Three minutes and that's it Fin. I order you to not make physical contact with Sorceress Heartily or Seifer will have my permission to subdue you. I'm going to draw your magic now."

It never got old seeing magic preformed. Leonhart widened his stance on the battered concrete while making sure his target was directly in front of him. It was important to not lose the deep focus that was needed to pull the magic from its owner. A moment of distraction could easily yield a failed draw and precious time could be lost that would affect the entire battle.

He was so efficient at drawing now that he only made a slight gesture towards the boy before an explosion of light ignited near Fin. The light then casted itself forward until it collided with Leonhart.

Fin instantly looked hesitant having no protection in front of the woman who would one day come to destroy his world. Seeing the fear only deepened the remorse Rinoa felt even more.

Sarvis walked to her Leader's side, and with gentleness, guided him away from the gathering and back towards the warehouse.

Seifer waited a few seconds to make sure the pair of SeeDs was out of sight before starting the clock, "Say your peace boy, but this is your final reminder. Step closer and you won't have any legs to walk home with."

Irritated, Fin shot the brooding knight a glare of contempt before settling back on Rinoa, "How old are you?"

Seifer, who was supposed to be ignoring the conversation, balked at the ridiculous question before earning another warning from both Sorceress and the young SeeD.

However, the neutrality of the question also perplexed Rinoa. She was expecting a few cuss words off the bat so with shaking words she answered him quickly, "I'm eighteen."

"This is how you want to spend your three minutes?" Seifer couldn't resist asking.

Fin lowering his voice, "He is just as annoying as my father said."

Rinoa had a hard time suppressing a smile at the mention of Irvine, but tried to keep her face as neutral as possible not knowing how the teen would interpret the expression.

"You look different than you do now." He said shyly, "On TV you look more graceful… More powerful."

"Ok…" was the only response she could give the teenager. It never occurred to her to think about what her future self would look like. Maybe she was just too disgusted with the idea of what she became that she purposefully blocked those kind of questions out of her mind. It was well known that Sorceresses could shift their looks over time, and if that was true, she hoped she still looked human and hadn't grown horns or claws.

The whole thought was so frightening that she stopped herself and felt the need to take this conversation in another direction, "Listen, I am not sure what to even say to you, because until a few days ago, none of this was even a possibility in my mind. I'm sure it's very little comfort to you, but I've been living in a hell that I can't wake up from. What I've done to the world… and to your brother…"

How was she going to put this? What right did she even have to speak to this kid let alone try to justify or clarify that this wasn't her when the truth was it would be one day. She was at a loss of words that would make it right. There was no way she could. Nothing could do would ever repair the damage she had done.

"You were going to say that you were sorry right?" He inquired.

She closed her eyes painfully before looking down to the ground. Those words even from his lips sounded so pitiful that she couldn't repeat them. Whatever would come next she just hoped it would give him so peace and that she would find the strength to withstand it.

"Good. That's enough for me to believe you," The teen said strongly as the SeeD suddenly reached for his bag.

Both Rinoa and Seifer had the same immediate reaction and move into defensive stances.

Seifer lunged towards the bag as he barked, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Relax dead man. I have something for her!" The teen tried to retract the bag from him.

"The hell you do-" Seifer yanked the bag from him, emptying the contents out with a wild swing before grabbing the boy by the shirt. Papers fluttered to the ground spreading out everywhere as an old leather bound book hit the ground on its spine.

"Seifer, let him go," Rinoa commanded for him to back off as she walked towards the papers that threated to start sliding away from the light breeze.

The teen removed from himself from the knight's grasp and started to gather the papers with urgency.

"What is all this?" Seifer demanded not understanding what the hell was going on.

The teen squatted down picking up as many of the papers as he could, "My dad always told stories about you when my mother wasn't around. He was fairly open about the days with Ultimecia... About Sorceress Rinoa…. How things used to be"

The teen hesitated for a second before looking at Rinoa, "How things used to be between you and Uncle Squall."

Rinoa looked up to Seifer as shell-shocked as he was to the sudden shift in personality the boy was displaying,

"I stole these files for you," The teen said trying to align the papers neatly together as he stacked them on top of the leather book before pushing them on to her.

Rinoa couldn't help but restate the obvious, "You stole these?"

"Aren't you digging your grave with SeeD?" Seifer asked interested in the youth.

The teen rolled his eyes, "If it would get me the hell out of there I wouldn't have even thought twice about it. With a headmistress as your mother, there's hardly an infraction out there that will get you expelled. Trust me, I've tried. Anyway, these are her personal documents that she had locked away, so there is shit SeeD can do about it."

Rinoa looked blind-sided to Fin, "Why? I don't understand."

The boy shrugged slightly before picking up his black bag from the ground, "You're not the same person…. It's easy for me to see that now. I know with these in your hands you'll do the right thing."

Seifer snorted, "And that would be?"

The answer was stated confidently, "Fix what you broke. Go back to your time and fix everything."

"Hey kid-" Seifer tried his best to look as sympathetic as he could muster but he more looked like he was afraid of what contagious disease he contained, "Isn't that a lot to ask for. We don't know if that can be done."

"No one asked anything from you dead man," the kid snapped.

"You've got to be-" Seifer was three seconds from kicking the kid's ass when Rinoa stepped in.

"What you're asking of me goes against your uncle's wishes." Rinoa stated clearly. "Do you understand what you're asking me to do?"

Turning his head slightly he scoffed at the idea, "Of course I do, but what about my brother? What about the thousands of people who died because of this war? Don't you have a moral sense of obligation to prevent this if you can?"

The weight of the documents in her hands suddenly tripled as the boy walked closer to her speaking quietly, "You'll find away. If what my father said about you was true, you'll find a way.

Seifer shot a warning glare that time was almost up. Rinoa quickly turned to her duffel back shoving the leather bound books and papers into her bag before hoisting it over her shoulder just as Leonhart turned the corner with Sarvis following his hurried steps.

"Consider me an ally, Sorceress. I'll do what I can on my side," Fin said under his breath.

"Everyone has a knight complex these days, "Seifer grumbled rolling his eyes.

Rinoa looked up to see Leonhart's expression growing darken, as he grew closer to the gathering.

Fin suddenly gave her a look of disgust before shifting his mood completely, "To think you will someday be the same as her. It's almost pathetic!"

The teens voice carried enough for his uncle to intervene in the fake insult.

"Enough Fin!" Leonhart shouted pulling the teen back by his shirt.

Fin gave her one last steady look before turning to face his uncle, "You're right. The answers I'm looking for aren't here."

Fin pulled himself out of his uncle's grasp before retrieving a thin black tablet from his pocket, "My mom's working in the newest part of the field. The last coordinates she updated was on the northern wall outside the shield zone…"

Squall looked at the coordinated for only a second before looking back disappointed, "That's too dangerous. Out there we would be prone to attacks. We can't risk that."

Rinoa looked perplexed before looking to Leonhart, "Dangerous? Isn't that kind of the theme of this whole mission?"

Sarvis interjected, "Our only option is to bring her back to the ship."

"Wait, hell no!" Rinoa started getting all fried up, "I am just as much a part of this team as you are. We stick together."

The leader seemed to register her complaint and for a moment seemed uncertain what to do. After a breath moment he turning to Rinoa attempting to keep the argument to a minimum, "Listen, I understand your objections, but the zone Fin is talking about is well known hot zone for attacks. I'm not trying to amend our agreement but this is an unneeded risk we can't afford to take. Sarvis and I can handle Selphie on our own. So I am just asking you this once, please do as I request without fighting me every step of the way."

The early light caught his eyes in such a way that the small flecks of green overwhelmed the overall blueness of his eyes. Looking into them was like looking into them back when they had woken from time compression finding each other lost and bewildered. Rinoa had to force herself to look down and pull herself back into the present. Of course right at that moment he had to stir up fleeting memories that wanted to pull her down.

She closed her eyes for a moment before letting go of the frustration she was feeling, "Alright."

His eyes stayed trained on her suspecting her to be less than honest.

"Seriously, I promise ok?" She repeated annoyed by his lack of faith. From the corner of her eye, she could see Fin in the frowning in disapproval.

"Alright, " Leonhart nodded to her as she bit her lip in annoyance, "Seifer will take you back."

Seifer raised an eyebrow at the injustice, "Seriously? Babysitting duties again?"

Refusing to even acknowledge him, Leonhart walked towards Fin who remained silent in the background, "You and I will have a long discussion about your actions today when this is over. Understand? You might have found your one way ticket out of Trabia."

Fin's green eyes just looked away as he mumbled, "Yeah, yeah. I'll work on giving a shit."

As Leonhart turned his back completely vexed by the teenager. Rinoa saw Fin look over to Rinoa for one final look as a plea, before giving into his trained salute to his superiors.

"I hate teenagers," was caught under Leonhart's breath as he crossed the old parking lot with Sarvis behind him.

Smirking, Seifer nudged Rinoa back towards the direction where the white SeeD ship was hiding, "Let's go shorty."

Taking slight offense, Rinoa pulled away from Seifer's attempt to steer her and casted one last look as the pair headed away from them. Side by side the two of them were talking intimately as they headed out into the unprotected field. It was hard to explain the sensation that had gripped her seeing the exotic beauty suddenly laugh at something Leonhart said with a straight face, but one thing was for certain, as much as she tried to disassociate him from the man of her time, her heart seemed to remain unconvinced.

Ooo000ooo

Returning to the ship seemed to have casted a forbidding spell on the world around them. Threatening clouds slowly moved over the forsaken island as Rinoa legs dangled off the side of the ship. Alone, she looked beyond the silent city that was protected by shimmering light knowing that was where Leonhart searched for the missing headmistress. Her own promise of obedience was dooming her, as an unsettling feeling seemed to hold her in place. Images flashed through her mind of them scaling the destroyed city and they always seemed to go towards the worst-case scenarios.

The day was beginning to lose its precedence into evening when the fine mist evolved into a light rain, sending many on board to seek shelter. As the sun dipped lower into the sky, Rinoa glanced at the black bag next to her with an uneasy feeling that she may have brought more devastating information home with her. The curiosity was eating her alive, but the paralyzing fear seemed to have a greater grip on her until now.

Rinoa heaved the bag over her shoulder to search for shelter from the elements. Passing by a few SeeDs she noted how careful they were not to look at her as she passed by. Even with the aversion, it was certain that they were reporting every move she made back to Leonhart. With that thought carefully planted in her mind, she took refuge underneath a ledge until the group moved on. It was only then she looked to the storage shed a few steps away. Not the most comfortable option, but privacy was going to have to take priority in this case.

Unlocking the door and she stepped in to a more compelling issue. Lighting in the shed was non-existent.

Placing the bag on the ground she carefully lowered herself to the ground and leaned against the door for extra security. The next part was embarrassing, as she would have to struggle to hold a basic light spell.

She knew next to nothing about Sorceresses before becoming one, and when the one who promised to guide her through it all disappeared, she became reluctant on using them. Zell had been interested in cultivating her powers for self-protection, but the fear always made her push.

Just a simple spell, she tried to tell her frightened heart that pounded in her chest in opposition. The most important part will to keep it small as not to alert any of the crew that may pass by.

Holding her hand with her palm out, she retreated away from the fearful thoughts trying to focus on the energy that always seemed to be bubbling underneath the surface. It was like uncorking bottle as it rushed to the surface all at once in one uncontrolled burst of light that resembled a flash bang.

Head smacked against the door as the projection of light dazed and confused her. It would take a few minutes for the color changing spots to disappear and her courage to try again.

Steadying herself once more, she refocused on the magic, allowing the light to slowly grow from a small flicker in her hand. The trick would be to keep it going once her attention was turned elsewhere. This was a moment where she had wished she had taken Zell up on his offer.

Wavering in and out like candlelight, Rinoa acted fast to flip through some of the documents entrusted upon her. Her stomach turned pulling out the mountains of papers knowing there was no way she could each and every one, but one piece of paper was unlike the rest, so she thought it was best to start there.

Lifting the piece of paper up, she had to intensify the light just to make out the incomplete letter so it would be legible. It was on formal letterhead with the SeeD symbol, but the rest of the document was had written in faded ink from someone who had spent a lot of care crafting the words.

Despite us not being blood I see you as my son- a part of my family that I will try to protect at all costs. What happened back then when you left garden… I made so many mistakes. So many, and I wish I could take them all back. If only I had known what I know now, I would have never stuck my old nose were it did not belong. I further alienated you instead of being someone you could trust as you did the best you could. There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't regretted everything that had been said between us the night you left. I've spent many nights thinking about what I should have said or should have done, but all the 'should haves' in the world will not bring you home. I have learned much from back then and will not make the same mistake twice.

The world is no longer willing to sit idle. I am not foolish to think that you don't know what is coming. There is still time my son and as your life is not yet set in stone. You still have the chance to reconsider your position. You have made difficult choices before, and undoubtedly this will be the hardest yet, but if you should come home all three gardens will be there to protect you as you once had protect them.

As for her… it will be the greatest failure we have ever made. No one could have predicted this ending and it kills me to this day that we couldn't protect you two from this fate. I know it was the guilt that got to Edea in the end. She never got over blaming herself for that child losing her way. It was her greatest wish that our anger to be set aside and reopen our communications.

Son, I wish to make this a reality. Tell me what I must do to bring you home to us. Tell me, and if it is with in my power to do so I swear to you I will have it done.

-Cid

Rinoa stared down at the letter with a feeling of loss at the untimed stamped letter in her hands. A lost child? That was the kindest words she had ever heard used on when referenced to herself during this time period, but it was apparent from the tone of the letter that Cid had once been less than sympathetic. Who could blame him? She was a monster. One was that was slowly taking over everything. It was clear that even SeeD seemed to be divided on how to handle her.

A nagging question entered her mind. If Squall had defied SeeD for their relationship to turn this sour, than why hadn't he gone through the marriage?

Unable to waste time on pondering that question, she knew she had to move on and quickly picked up a heavy leather bound book.

Opening the first page sent a different reaction than what she had been anticipating. Expecting to find something devastating within its pages, she relieved to find out she was holding an antique styled photo album, one that started off with a formal wedding picture of Selphie and Irvine.

A smile crept on her face as she saw the profile of the brunette with a full wattage smile as she looked up at Irvine. Her gloved arms lightly linked over his neck as he pulled her in close. His forehead nearly rested on hers, as his eyes declared his love so fluently that no words could capture it properly. It was perfect… A love that nothing should be able to spoil.

She flipped the page to find a formal line up of the entire wedding party. The people chosen didn't surprise her. Rinoa and Quistis proudly stood by Selphie in light buttercream strapless dresses. While on the other side, Irvine was next to an overly enthusiastic Zell and a more subdued Squall. With the groomsmen dressed in the proper SeeD attire, it was apparent that Irvine was going to be handing in his player card far sooner than Rinoa ever thought.

Irvine had ditched the expected attire on all accounts. Not only was he not dressed in SeeDs formal attire, but also his cowboy regalia had been retired for their special day. Instead he wore white tails, which likely were forced on him by his slightly controlling bride.

It was clear that this wedding had come deep from the mind of Selphie Tilimitt. Everything seemed so over the top and planned out to the tee, that it was very reminiscent of her festival planning days. The bride wore a strapless drop wasted white gown, that when spread out, was nearly three times the size of the girl wearing it. Long white gloves drew ones eye up to the beautiful shimmering necklace that graced her small neck. However nothing could top the sparkling tiara that was fitted in her upswept hair.

Rinoa turned the page to see a montage of candid pictures from their wedding. Many with all three girls smiling with champagne glasses while making ridiculous faces, and a few with Irvine and Zell after way too many drinks doing something to embarrass the commander in the background.

The photos continued on with various people. Many were most likely from various gardens that Selphie had met over the years. She nearly glanced right over them until one in particular caught her eye because of the background.

Selphie posed in a shot with an unknown female, but in the distance Rinoa saw herself leaning against a window ledge. Stealing her breath in the picture was the acting Commander, who must have not known about the presence of others.

Laughing a bit to herself, Rinoa concluded that they must have a real knock of always being in a compromising position whenever a recording device was around. At least, the picture itself was sweet as he held her shoes after a late night of celebrating.

It was just one of the million missing moments of her life. She was so envious of the woman sitting there experiencing the rush of excitement from the unusual display of affection. The painful truth was, she was slowly forgetting the last night she had with him. The way his lips felt on hers, and how her skin reacted when touching his. The memories were more like dreams rather than based in reality.

Turning the page she seemed to have jumped in time. It was a baby shower with a very pregnant Selphie in the center of it all. Rinoa dressed in a purple sweater with black slacks had her hair cut just above her shoulders. Frowning a bit at the picture, she promised herself If she ever had the chance of living these moments, she would defiantly not get that haircut.

There were pictures of cake, nursery items, and baby clothes before it all jumped to a hospital in Balamb.

Laying in his exhausted mother's arms, an infant with a full head of black hair and a squished little face laid sleeping as the father beamed with pride. In delicate handwriting she recognized as Selphie's placed the photo for Eli and the date.

A rough estimate from what Quistis divulged to her would put Eli's birth in the first year or two after Squall left garden, which was evident by the next set of photos of the ex-commander out of uniform.

Comfortable in a pair of denim jeans and a grey this hoodie, in the picture he looked over Rinoa's shoulder as she cradled the infant. Fate was sick and twisted to have a picture like this exist. The monster that would ultimately take the child's life had no right to look that peaceful holding him.

The rest of the photo album was filled with the life that has yet to happen for her. Many holiday gatherings, SeeD events, and various vacations. Most humorous of the collection were the ones of Squall attending children's birthday parties. She could always find him sitting in a corner with one hand cupped over his mouth with an overwhelmed look on his face. While she could be counted on being in the center of the action, he seemed more focused on just surviving the social obligation than enjoying himself.

All of the pictures came together to tell her one very important story. While in the beginning she was a stable fixture in all of the photos, slowly she started to disappear from as the further she went. More often than not Squall was alone at Eli's older birthday parties, and eventually Fin's. Never did his expression change from year to year, but Rinoa could only wonder what was on his mind knowing that things were far from peace between them then.

Closing the book her mind traveled back to the mysterious man she was traveling with. Seeing picture of his life gave her a little understand of how long the years must have felt together.

How could he care about her at all was still mystifying.

One thing was for sure. The small book had a deep impact on her. There was no chance she could return back to her time and pretending nothing had happen. There was no way she could look at her friend's child knowing she would crush his little light before he ever had a chance to live. Forget all the selfish wants she had for her own life. That should take a back seat to the lives she had changed.

Mentally exhausted from trying to maintain the light spell while looking through a life worth of pictures, she debated giving up when seeing the stack of photocopied papers. There was no way should could go through them in one sitting.

Picking them up, she only meant to do a quick flip through but the first document had been purposely set there to grab her attention.

It was only three by four inches and was copied in poor black and white quality, but the picture held her attention undividedly.

In field of Flowers…

Long black locks, loosely curled blew in the wind…

A former solider dressed down in nothing more than a white dress shirt and grey pants.

A white dress…

A kiss that hid the couple's face…

She didn't need to see her own face to know it was herself. The pain straining her heart told her it was. It likely to be the only photo of their union in existence and this was a copy of it.

Unable to breath, she went on to the next few pages that were copied photographs of what seemed to be a journal.

Reading a picture of someone's personal diary was easier said than done, especially when the journal was full of calculations and short hand that she couldn't really understand.

Flipping through pages she nearly gave up making sense of it until she saw a drawing that illuminated her thoughts.

A necklace.

Rinoa skimmed the words a bit more to put the picture into context. This was Dr. Odines incoherent ramblings. This was his lab journal on how to create the Odine Bangle Seifer had told her about.

Shaking she flipped further seeing her medical chart, various graphs, and secret notes taken on her advancing "condition", as Odine called it. In Lame man terms, it a time line of how her powers grew that coincided with her drifting away from her sanity.

With her mind spinning frantically, the light spell sputtered before disappearing her leaving in darkness. It was more than she need to see at the moment. All she had to find Seifer and show him what Fin had done for them.

Hastily she threw everything in her black bag with little regard as to their order. Not caring who might see her, she fled the storage shed and made her way through the light rain, heading straight to the underbelly of the ship.

Her mind was overcome with everything she had she disregarded the closed door and failed to think twice before flipping on the light in Seifer's room as she hurried in.

"We need to talk now-" The words heading from her brain to her mouth were cut off by a vision of twisted bodies rhythmically grinding against each other as sheets fell to the floor.

Seifer's head lifted up in alarm at the intrusion, as Rinoa's stomach was the first to react to recognition that the firm ass she was staring at belonged to him.

A mixture between a scream and a gage involuntarily departed from her as she tried to blind herself with her fingers.

"GET OUT!" Seifer roared as bed coils squealed from underneath him.

The demand was ludicrous because she would have been more than delighted to comply, but unfortunately, trying to dig the ghastly images physically from her eyeballs made leaving a bit of a challenge. She half attempted to turn around but ran smack into the doorframe with her head knocking her back.

Seifer could be heard jumping out of bed and picking up his jeans from the floor, "Heartilly for fuck sakes!"

Reeling, she threw herself out into the hallway hearing the door slam behind her. Her mind hurdled through a barrage of twisted images and critical questions as she rushed to head back above deck.

Climbing the stairs, she almost thought she could breath until heavy-footed steps could be heard a good distance behind her. Looking behind her, she saw Seifer struggling to get his shirt over his head. When his eyes met hers he gave her a damning glare, "Get back here!"

The last thing she wanted to do was look at him let alone talk about what she had the unfortunate seen. Taking the steps by two, she was already almost a full floor above him, and had the advantage.

Already wet from the rain, she didn't think twice running out into it, leaving the knight at the landing unwilling to adventure out after her.

"Damn it, Heartilly! Get back here!" He shouted out to the rain.

Knowing she was free of him, for the moment at least, she walked further away from the provoked knight cursing at her from behind.

How the hell was what she saw was possible?

Rinoa found herself laughing deliriously; there was actually some SeeD on this ship willing to do that with him. There isn't even some plausibly deniability, unlike someone who might have met him in a bar somewhere. After all, since he was technically dead, no one would have suspected him being Ultemcia's henchman even if he out right told him. This was beyond sick, and the more Rinoa thought about it the more ill she grew. Whoever the SeeD was, intentionally hooked up hooked up with one of the greatest villains of her time. Now she had seen it all, and felt dirty for playing witnessing to it.

Looking up at the city in for a brief moment, something in the far distance had caught her eye forcing her to a standstill. Drawing closer, Rinoa watched as distinct lights hovered over the city, streaking the darkening sky with contrasting light.

The ground around her trembled violently as the light collided in the background. The shockwave pitched Rinoa backwards as sound of crushing metal overwhelmed her senses.

Attempting to regain her balance, she slowly rose up, as the world seemed to bleed together in a rush of colors. The drumming of her heart was all that could be heard while she looked out to the world in front of her. It was now one engulfed in flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Layla's Notes:
> 
> Wow! It's finally posted. Very delayed (understatement of the year) but here! I hope I caught all the editing that was needed but honestly Im recovering from food poisoning so there might be some. I hope people are still following this despite my long absence. I have a bunch written for the next chapter already so there won't be a very long wait for the next one. Alright, I'm done trying to make sense. It's time for me to get back to bed!
> 
> Please read and review! Its the only way I know if its worth continuing. Bad and good... all is welcomed!


	11. Chapter 11: A World In Flames

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: A World In Flames  
Beta: Kasidy92

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Chapter 11: A World In Flames

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Blood seemed to rain down from the ominous clouds around her as the world collapsed into violence. While the storm claimed the White SeeD Ship in wild sprays, Rinoa stood on the deck at a complete loss on how something that existed a moment ago could turn into dust in a blink of an eye. Black armored airships tore through the city skyline, targeting the defenseless part of the city that was being rebuilt. They had the good fortune to have the blue shields protecting the inhabited parts. For now, it stood resiliently, but time would only tell how long it could hold.

Frantically, Rinoa looked towards the north where only hours earlier Leonhart had taken off towards in search of the missing Headmistress.

The ship underneath her rattled, leading her to a wider stance for support as the vessel went live spreading its sails into the air. Crewmembers braved the rain and rushed passed her, prepping to leave for the open ocean.

Blinking twice, Rinoa stalked towards them as a part of her started to panic. "What the hell do you think you're doing? We can't leave with your leader still out there!"

The SeeDs did nothing but ignore her as they wasted no time in cutting the ropes that held the ship to the base of the island.

"Rinoa!" Seifer's voice surpassed the sounds of the engines roaring to life. "We've got to leave them. The plan was if they found us to get the hell out of here. We don't have time to piss and moan about it!"

"Is that right? That was the plan all along?" She squinted, "Another plan that I was kept in the dark about? I could care less what plans you've made Seifer. I'm not leaving them here to die!" Rinoa shouted, but the sound of steel buildings giving way made her words nearly disappear.

Seifer squinted, trying to read her lips while the ship pulled away from the dock. "They'll survive this," Seifer shouted. "We have to think of ourselves Rinoa! That's the only thing that's important right now!"

It was the wrong answer and time was of the essence. Rinoa bit down, giving the false knight a beseeching look until another explosion rung through the air. Dark clouds of smoke plumed into the sky as groans of the lifeless city echoed.

Her heart stopped in her chest just as the ship started to move further away from where she was needed.

As the distance between her and the horror grew, it made her feel as if she was leaving a fragment of herself behind. Emotionally ravaged, she took a step forward as if that small movement would close the gap and make her once more. It didn't, and the separation was as unsettling as irrational.

"RINOA!" A shout came to her ears, breaking her from her hypnotized state long enough look back at the person requiring her attention.

Seifer only needed a brief glance to know the intent running in her mind, "Don't even think-"

Not willing to waste a second longer on the brute, Rinoa turned her back to him with only one goal in mind, and that was to get off the ship before anyone could stop her.

Sprinting forward abruptly, she could see the alarmed reactions from the SeeDs around spread as she barreled past them. There was no time to acknowledge how they responded, or how quick Seifer was gaining while using her name like it was an expletive. If she had given herself even a moment to hesitate, she might as well give them a detailed playbook of her plans so they could stop her. Since there was no well thought out plan, there was hardly any time for anyone to react, giving her the seconds she needed to make a swift exit from the ship in the quickest manner possible.

However, as Rinoa pushed herself up and over the railing, she realized there would be consequences for her brash behavior.

By then it was too late.

Her body crashed into the sea with such force that it stunned all her senses at once. The unseasonable temperature of the water nearly cost her all of her air supply when she gasped involuntarily from the contact. She desperately clawed at the currents trying to steady herself, but the ship pulling away caused the whirlpools to suck her deeper down. Forces she could not see tossed her around like a rag doll, making her lose all her bearings.

The first reasonable reaction for her was to panic; nonetheless she quickly reclaimed her wits realizing if she did not, she was as good as dead. Covering her mouth with her hand, Rinoa felt let the bubbles leaving her mouth tell her which way to go. It was her only shot, and she wasn't going to fail herself now. Rinoa flipped herself around and moved in that direction.

The tide released her from its dragging force, and she was able to surface just as she wondered if she would ever find her way out. She surfaced and started coughing harshly as the waves pushed her around attempting to drown her once more. The clothes Quistis had given her may have been waterproof, but there was no protection from the bitter coldness of the water. The urgency to get out only intensified as she heard an argument break out from the ship above followed by another large splash behind her.

That was the one thing Rinoa hadn't expected Seifer to do.

She glanced behind to see the scruffy blonde surface a good few pace behind her just as disoriented as she had been. It was the shot of adrenaline that she needed to get her focus back. Rinoa put all of her energy into her forward strokes and ignored the vulgar cursing that followed her name as she tried to keep at a distance from the well-trained former SeeD cadet.

By the time she was able to pull herself out of the water and onto one of the many maintenance ladders, she realized that she had greatly underestimated how much energy she would use to get this far. Breathless and frozen, she clung for a moment to the ladder just trying to catch her breath as stringent shivers inundate her. Seifer was only a few strokes behind her now, and his cussing was only getting viler. Ignoring him, Rinoa looked up to see the intimidating distance she would have to climb to reach the ruins above.

Making her first move with her right hand, Rinoa pulled herself up higher as the wind howled past. The salt water burned her eyes, and her hair kept getting in her mouth, forcing her to slow down giving Seifer an uncomfortable advantage to gain on her.

"If I catch up with you I am going to throw you back into the sea myself and hold you down!" The empty threat spewed from Seifer's blue lips as he doubled his efforts.

Scoffing a bit, Rinoa should have realized SeeDs had better training in undertakings like these. If she had had any hope of making it to the surface, she would have to find whatever the driving force was behind her endurance use it.

The crippling sounds of explosions caused the ladder underneath her to tremble, making Rinoa stop and clench tightly to the bars. The impact had been so violent she was certain for a moment that the ladder would come disengaged, making good on Seifer's threat of sending her to the sea.

What she was doing was incredibly stupid, and she didn't need the Seifer behind her to tell her. (Although he was going to great lengths to do so behind her.) Rinoa had a hard time giving into his logic when something deeper inside of her was driving her to move faster. She was acting off instinct- something much stronger than the natural one she was born with because that part was telling her to run away.

Instead, the pull to the action was great. It was as if more than her life was depending on it. The morning Squall had disappeared their bond had been empty of all signs of him. Nothing had changed much when she had encountered the Leonhart of this time. However, in the first moments of this attack something shifted because where there once was a calm silence now filled with chaos and fear.

"Rinoa!" A haggard call came from the Knight hot on her heels as she pulled herself up onto the equal ground as the city.

Pulling her numbed fingers through her hair, she tried to shed the excess water while attempting to establish her whereabouts. Wave beaten and utterly exhausted, Rinoa only made it a few steps before stumbling to her knees. There was nothing she could do but let the exhaustion take her body to the broken pavement. Everything hurt in such a mind blowing way. Even the air burned as she frantically tried to secure more.

Seeing the White SeeD ship navigating away in the distance, she knew that as pissed as Seifer will be he would have little recourse now as they were now committed to the island for the time being. The only question persisting was how he would respond once he made landfall. Would he help her or stand in her way? As Rinoa gradually found her ability to stand, one thing was for sure. She was at the disadvantage for having left her weapon back on the ship. If he still held objections to her plans, things could get ugly between them instantly.

The ex-knight was not fairing much better when he made it onto solid ground. Barefooted, he stalked towards her like a feral beast readying for a kill, confirming this was going to come to blows.

"Have you lost your damn mind?!" Seifer growled out as three black ships passed overhead. Reacting off old training ingrained into him, Seifer pulled Rinoa out of harms way and into a dilapidated warehouse.

Far from safe, she was closer to the delirious knight as he lowered his face to her. "You're willing to throw everything you'll ever have away and get yourself fucking killed in one battle?"

Rinoa's jaw tightened as she checked the knight with her elbow throwing his arm off of her, "Does this just look like just a battle to you? It's an all out war and while you're getting busy with some SeeD -"

A deep laughter ignited from Seifer as he cut her off, "What part are you more pissed about? Me fucking that SeeD or the part that I'm not going to let you waltz out there and get killed?"

Rinoa lets go of a frustrated sigh, knowing it was taking too much energy to hold back from just smacking him.

"This isn't your fight, so just stand aside," Rinoa ordered him, as she tried to move away until a hand clamped down on her.

"You're the fool!" He argued pulling her back as explosions connected to the ground in the distance causing dust to fall from above them, coating them in gray ash.

Shielding her with his body, Seifer yanked her even harder to him, "If you die out there its game over, and everything we've been trying to protect is gone!"

"We've been trying to protect? Whose side are you really on Seifer? Because clearly it isn't mine," She questioned. "The deal was to aide me, not stand against me. Do you want a testimony? Then stop getting in my way!"

Seifer's hand gripped her arm as he lowered himself to throw her over his shoulder. If he had expected an easy target, he must have missed the extra self-defense classes Zell pushed her to partake in.

Taking advantage of his vulnerable moment, she grasped his fingers, bending them all the way backward. The tyrant was thrown off just long enough for her to do something she had wanted to do since seeing him on Edea's parade float back when he was Ultimecia's puppet.

Delivering a swift kick to a valued piece of his, Seifer doubled over in agonizing pain, giving her a chance to leave. Passing him, she started off in the direction where the rain of fire was falling the heaviest.

"Heartilly!"Seifer grunted as he rose from one knee, his eyes bloodshot and exhausted lowered themselves on her as he rose painfully. He took one step before staggering, which made him laugh unnervingly, "Cute, but this ends now for both our sakes."

The light rain cemented the dirt on their skin as they stood facing each other in a standoff. Goosebumps on Rinoa's arms rose as she felt an unsettling feeling rush her blood, flooding every crevice with a need that was starting to overwhelm her.

Rinoa tried to push the burning impulses away as she stared at the man who wished to stop her.

"Don't make me hurt you," she warned him in a small voice.

Instantly dismissed by the ex-Knight, he laughed while sneering at her, "We've already been down that road."

There was too much energy within her that wanted to escape and eliminate the threat, and as Seifer took a step closer, it seemed to register with him.

Seifer stopped short of reaching for her and peered down at his right hand that started to tremble on its own. Annoyed by the radiating energy she was casting off, he rolled his hand into a fist to stop it and looked back to her. The air around them seemed to fill with a charge that gave off a burning smell of electricity and metal. Rinoa wasn't sure if she was the only one who could see the haze that began to build around them.

Meeting her gaze, Seifer read the signs well and knew she was the one who was creating the disturbances. More importantly, he recognized the fear in her poker face at not knowing how to control it.

"This isn't what you want to do," Seifer spoke in an irritated voice that sounded close to condescending. "You can't control this and you can't control me."

Rinoa shook her head slowly, "Is that what you think?"

Seifer let out a guttural bark as his ego lead him to take one more step in an unpleasing reaction to Rinoa's threat. She answered back by raising her hand to him.

It started with an acid like sensation rolling around in her chest that spilled over into the tips of her fingers. Once the current was open, there was no way she could control its path. Sharp snaps of electricity singed her fingertips as the energy in the air started to rise causing the air quality around them to disintegrate further.

"You think you can handle this?" Seifer mocked as sweat began to gather on his brow. Rinoa could visibly see that his internal temperature was climbing rapidly. Beads of sweat were forming at his hairline.

Rinoa started to bite the inside of her cheek. She held onto the energy and allowed it to grow, let its intensity permeate the air with the smell of burning dust particles to the point she could smell nothing else.

The force pervading the air seemed to connect with Seifer as his face started to strain and flush red. Despite trying to not look affected, he narrowed his eyes defiantly and took another step.

"This has been all fun and games but you're coming with me," he informed her through clenched teeth.

The threat forced her hand as Rinoa removed her last bit of her restraint, letting whatever was going to come forward flow freely. Like damaged dam after a furious storm, what started off as a small leak quickly eroded away until nothing could contain it.

Falling backward, she felt an excruciating surge that burned every nerve ending on its way out of her body, in waves that she had almost no control over.

Seifer's eyes grew, losing focus on her as the magic crashed into him making his body seized on impact. He crumbled against the invisible weight that compounded him and let out a strangled cry of outrage.

The harder he fought against the spell the more painful controlling it became for her. The force seemed to magnify the intensity of the sharp waves, pulsating hotter and hotter until it threatened to burn her from the inside. The electrical energy was in a hurry to be expelled and took the path of least resistance. It flowed through her middle and down into her legs causing them to grow weak.

"Stop or both of us could get hurt," Rinoa anxiously urged trying to keep the powers stable as he thrashed against the weight she disbursed on him.

Shooting daggers at her with his eyes, Seifer refused to yield as he forced his body up against her powers.

Feeling the push back against her powers, Rinoa strained from the unbalanced it caused. She was now trying to juggle different currents that threatened to topple both of them. "Seifer, I can't control this…"

"Then stop… Because I'm not going to … I can't let you…" He growled as his face twisted into pain when he attempted to push himself on his knees to a low crouch.

The energy instantly backfired, shocking Rinoa's arm back producing a scream of agony while she sunk to the ground. All at once she lost control of the power, and it flooded out of her and into the vessel in front of her.

An intense bellow left Seifer as his body withered to the ground with his right arm cradling his left side. In too much pain to say anything, he rolled from his side onto his back with bloodshot eyes. Painfully he gasped for breaths that seemed to elude him.

Rinoa could still feel the residual pain coursing through her, giving her spurts of discomfort that nearly made her cry.

Groaning, Seifer let his head fall backward on the cement as he struggled with remaining conscious. His eyes floated over to her but quickly closed as he fought to speak, "It doesn't matter if… he dies… But if you do… If you die..."

His face relaxed as he slipped into the darkness that beckoned him. Breathing heavily, Rinoa crawled over placing her fingertips on his neck. A steady pulse and good breaths allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief until a series of return fire sounded in the near distance.

Standing up, Rinoa looked into the smoke-filled horizon as Garden airships headed towards the damaged north for retribution. There was no time to waste.

Pulling Seifer's body to the doorway of an abandoned building Rinoa whispered a meaningless apology before turning towards the fires and began to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> Layla's Corner
> 
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> 
> Don't forget to send in a review after you read! Reviews are good for the author's soul. So please review!


	12. Chapter 12: No Longer Willing To Hide

Beta: Kasidy92

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Chapter 12: No Longer Willing To Hide

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The heat from the fires around her seemed to burn away the heavy mist, turning it into liquid smoke that infiltrated her lungs as she cut under awnings of the war-torn city. Surveillance vehicles passed over with little awareness of the sorceress disregarding her own safety driving her way deeper into the hot zone. Rinoa strained to develop a reason as to why she was doing what she was doing, as she used her arm to cover her eyes from the harsh irritants making her eyes water.

From the start, there had been no game plan. All she was acting on was an aching sensation in her gut telling her she was getting closer. What exactly she was hurdling herself towards wasn't clear, but the logical part of herself was in constant turmoil with reality. With every step she gained, the more satisfied the vital urge was. Whatever was drawing her was getting closer and with it the fear was starting to seep in.

She turned into an old office building that had stood there long before she had ever arrived at Fisherman Horizon. Rinoa carefully plotted her course through the damaged building. It was impossible for her to escape the reminders of the lives that abruptly had ended here, as her leather boots had to step over degraded bags and purses with unease. No one knew for sure if these people had survived the assault or whether they had been ripped apart in the pacifist city. Rinoa wanted to believe that many of them did escape, but all too likely many probably never made it more than a few blocks before succumbing to their fate.

The ground around her shook violently as an explosion went off in the distance where the majority of the battles took place. As Rinoa leaned against the wall for support, her heart raced wildly in her chest threatening to find its path out just as voices echoed from the front lobby.

"Sweep the first floors and move onto the second. Turn over every damn rock if you have to. Find them!"

Voices of agreement followed the order forcing Rinoa into a new plan of action. She looked around the corner finding the elevators that used to service the old building. Ther was no possibility that they were functional, but it did mean staircases would be found near by.

Carefully, Rinoa rounded the corner and walked past the old elevators to find a service door off it's hinges. There, service stairs were in respectable shape despite having debris from previous battles in the way. Rinoa climbed over it to take one step at a time. She balanced each step she took to make sure she would not make a sound as she ascended towards the third floor. The last thing she needed was for the fading voices to be alerted to her presence.

The third floor appeared to have been an office space at one time. Much of the equipment and furniture had been haphazardly dismantled across the room. As she tread her way through, Rinoa looked at the blown out windows that allowed clouds of smoke to seep in. The war was escalating with the arrival of SeeDs on the ground, and Rinoa could smell the scent of magic permeating the air instead of the sound of gunfire.

It was one of the most useful skills she inherited from her unwanted powers. Her body had an unusual reaction when she encountered people wielding magic. She could sense it's presence before any physical indicators were present. Para-magic now looked entirely different with everything showing up as more vivid in colors. The spells themselves had their own aura and was easily trackable through the air. Like a moth to a flame, she was dangerously attracted by the slightly sweet but metallic aroma spells emitted when casted. She had asked Zell about this back when they were on the search for their missing hero, but no one else seemed to have any expertise as to why she saw it this way.

Her arm began to throb immensely as the magic use around her started to grow. The arm that had taken the surge of magic was pulsing with pain. Small blood vessels had burst leaving dark pools of blood dispersing where it could. Letting out a low groan, Rinoa wondered how much more casting her body could tolerate should the need arise.

A shrill sound of glass breaking came from behind her. As if on queue with her thoughts, every hair on her arms rose as he quickly pivoted to the direction the sound had come from. Rinoa scanned the area looking for the threat while preparing herself for the worst. Shockingly, she found nothing but dark shadows that attempted to play tricks on her mind.

Feeling her breath quicken, Rinoa had no doubt she wasn't alone despite appearances. She stealthily made her way towards the back where a corner office had been.

Careful to eliminate her breaths, she listened for the sounds of others, but with the distant sounds of combat she could hardly determine where the enemy was waiting for her.

This section of the building had been particularly hit the hardest. Where one window had been was now nothing but rubble that let the natural elements in pour into the room. Wood was freshly splintered everywhere from bookshelves and the dust had yet to settle. The only visible place to hide was in the corner where a desk had overturned.

Rinoa pounced first knowing that she had the element of surprise as her upper hand. Throwing the dry rotted desk out of the way, Rinoa prepared an Ice spell on the tip of her fingers as a young girl screamed in terror. In her shaking hand was a broken handle of a broom pointed towards Rinoa as if that would stop her.

Halting instantly, Rinoa looked down on the Trabia student who was next to an unconscious and bloodied boy. The fear in the girl's young caramel eyes was disturbing, resembling closer to a feral animal ready to bite rather than a human.

Taking a step back, Rinoa raised her hands in surrender. "We're on the same side."

The girl held the stick out in front for a while as she continued to draw in ragged breaths. Slowly Rinoa's words worked their way in, and gradually the girl lowered her weapon as she took in Rinoa's appearance.

"You're a SeeD?" The girls pale lips trembled.

If Rinoa had to guess, the girl in front of her couldn't have been any older than fourteen. Her hair looked to be a honey blonde, except much of it was sullied with blood from what had to be a serious injury somewhere. Her clothes were slightly different than what she use to seeing Trabia student wear in her time, but it still was a clue to what team she was on. Rinoa's attention quickly drew to the boy beside her who still hadn't moved.

Coming in closer Rinoa could hear the subdued cries from the young girl next to him, and Rinoa knew could see why. Much of the blood had been from wounds he had sustained while shielding her from a blast. Rinoa touched his neck searching for a pulse. Most of his wounds were catastrophic. He had likely bled out very quickly.

"I used everything I had on me to save him, but nothing worked. My life spell… It didn't…" The girl's face twisted in pain suddenly, as her head dipped down.

The girl fell into deep sobs that only intensified when another set of explosions rocked the building they were in.

"You shouldn't be out here," Rinoa remarked worried how close that came to them.

"I knew we shouldn't have gone this far, but they cracked down on student relationships… We just wanted to be together… Hyne…"

Rinoa turned her sights to the blown out piece of wall where a dark clouds of smoke came through. She had to keep moving but bringing the girl with her would only serve as a liability and slow her down.

Frustrated, Rinoa sighed kneeling next to the petite teenager, she tried to examine her injuries. There were some deep gashes on the top of her head, and she likely suffered a bad concussion. There was no way Rinoa could let her fend herself. She was likely disoriented and confused.

"Have you tried anything on yourself?" asked Rinoa knowing that her supplies were limited in part due to her quick departure.

The young one only looked up as she gasped for air rather than reply.

Trying to regain her focus, Rinoa took the girl's face in her hands. "I'm going to use my Curas on you, alright? You're going to be just fine, but I need you to calm down before I can administer it."

Dipping into her stash, Rinoa felt her injured arm starting to tremble as she started to summon the simple spell. The dark room glowed in a soothing green for a few moments before dispersing on the child all at once, leaving Rinoa's hand in a violent tremor that made her bite her lip until it drew blood.

This was no good, Rinoa realized. Magic was something she couldn't afford to waste hastily in this condition.

"Can you move?" Rinoa asked weakly, as the girl inspected her more closely.

"You're a white SeeD? Why is the White SeeD here?" the girl inquired like she was in a trance.

Rinoa looked down to see the emblem embossed in the lower corner of her shirt. She hadn't noticed it before, but at least it gave her a prefabricated alibi.

"Classified. We need to get somewhere safe. Somewhere you can meet up with Trabia. Can you stand?"

"I can't leave him," the girl rebutted when Rinoa grabbed her hand. "I won't! He wouldn't have left me!'

"Hey! You listen to me and listen closely okay?" Rinoa forced hooked under the girls chin to force her to look up. "He would want you to survive this, okay? There is a war going on, and he would want you to live to fight another day for him."

The girl seemed mesmerized for a moment leading Rinoa to wonder if she had gone too far.

"Anyone ever tell you that you kind of look like the Sorceress?" The girl stammered, before blinking a few times embarrassed by the comment, "but I mean… A lot prettier of course."

Swallowing that, Rinoa tried to refocus the girl before resorting to taking her by force, "Just focus on survival for him, alright? You'll have your revenge."

"Revenge…" The girl whispered.

That words seemed to be thrown around a lot lately, and as the girl slowly made her way onto her feet. Rinoa had the chance to look down on the boy one last time. Another one of her victims. A casualty that wasn't so faceless as the others.

Taking the lead, Rinoa steered the young cadet through the building but nearly came to a stop as the strong pulling sensation grew. She was close to whatever was calling her. So close that she felt if she just ran ahead she would literally run into it. Regrettably, with the young girl trailing behind her, she knew she couldn't just focus on her mission now. First she had to find a way to get the girl back to Trabia alive without being caught herself.

Rinoa took one look back as the girl behind her only snivel slightly as she navigated over broken walls to keep up. Rinoa wasn't sure how at her age she was able to keep together so well. She was only a few years older and still felt like she could crumble under the weight that had been placed on her.

That was the thing about SeeDs.

From early on they had to experience life at a greater intensity and in return learned to live hastily. They had to compartmentalize their losses and move on fast if they wanted to survive in the institution where death was a constant companion. Rinoa struggled to accept that as easily as Squall seemed to have. To her, it would never be normal for children to walk towards death.

Together, they cleared the building and ended up at an old glass skyway that connected to the adjacent building. It was in rough shape with many of its glass panels now shards on the concrete ground, but it seemed structural sound. Rinoa weighed the risks of being seen opposed to remaining one spot.

Rinoa looked up as SeeD hovercrafts with searchlights illuminated in the horizon. Turning back to the student, Rinoa spoke quietly, "Listen, we need to get across as quickly as possible without being seen. See the search party out there? That's where we need to go."

"Why is the White SeeD here? I thought they refused to help rebuilding efforts."

Rinoa cursed the girl's natural curiosity. It wasn't her fault. Rinoa knew fully well they were taught to question the unusual, but the fact remained she did not have a good story prepared.

"Stay focused, alright? Do you think you've got this?" Rinoa asked as the blonde girl nodded while looking out into the fading light being choked out by the dark smoke.

Rinoa sunk to the ground and started to army crawl into the skyway. A few feet in, Rinoa looked back and signaled her to follow.

The length of the Skyway was not far by any means. It was merely crossing a street, but that was quite the antagonizing distance when considering the large amount of broken glass and rubble they would have to go over to get there.

Pulling herself by her arms, Rinoa ignored the stinging pain caused by dragging her flesh over pieces of glass. It was more impressive that the young cadet behind her complied without complaint. Had Squall suggested something like this to her when they had first met on the train, she sure as hell wouldn't have been so obedient.

Large spotlights flooded the room as a hover craft neared, making both females roll and lean against the wall for concealment.

As the light washed out of the room Rinoa wondered if the beating in her chest was as audible to the girl she was leading or was it only deafening to her?

Some great leader she was being, Rinoa thought to herself as she rolled her eyes.

The girl remained calm despite the sudden moment of danger and both pressed on crossing the way cautiously. Relief flooded Rinoa when she was able to stand once more in what seemed to be a shopping complex.

"Do you need a cure?" Rinoa asked inspect her own damage. A little bloody, but it was nothing more than superficial.

The girl shook her head as Rinoa looked around trying to decide the safest route to take next.

"Why are you separated from your team? SeeD teaches that separation means you are as good as dead, but here you are on your own."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she led the teen through the flooded and ransacked store.

"Sometimes separation is the only choice we are given, " Rinoa replied dodging around dripping water from the leaky roof above. The air was permeating with such a pungent smell of mold and mildew that it was nearly unbreathable. Rinoa's boots splashed in a puddle that was blackened with grime as she peered around a blind corner for enemies.

Her attention snapped towards an area off to her right even before the sounds of racks being tipped over ripped through the dead silence. A feeling stirred in the back of her mind, like a sixth sense.

Magic, it was intoxicating to her. Its mere presence could draw her in. The disturbance caused both girls to fall back into a defensive stance as a sound of steam rushing through pipes filled the silence.

Rinoa took a step back as a mechanical machine came around the corner sweeping the room it was in. It acted like an arachnid with eight stainless steel legs followed one by one as it took notice of them. Protectively Rinoa wrapped herself around the cadet as they shuffled a few steps back in compensation while the aggressive machine raised its self over them. A single lens resembled an eye as it narrowed in on them and decided they were its enemy.

"Hyne, Run!" The girl shrieked pulling Rinoa by the arms backward.

Fixated Rinoa couldn't seem to look away, not that she needed to look around to know that this thing had them cornered in a small section of the store where there were no easy exits.

"What are you doing?!" the girl cried.

"What is it?" Rinoa asked in a stunned whisper. There was no heartbeat but the magic essence it held was spilling over in a way she had never seen from something that wasn't organic in nature.

The girl tugged at her again as the creature made a piercing shriek and bolted each leg one by one into the ground for support.

"What do you mean? It's a Pylon!" The girl explained confused by Rinoa's lack of fear.

Its large lens glowed with an iridescent white light nearly blinding them for a moment in the dark, cramped, space.

Squinting Rinoa frowned with confusion. "Did that thing just take a picture of us?"

"The witch has these as spies." The girl casted a protect and a shell over them both in response.

Always good to hear, Rinoa thought while frowning. "Ever taken one down before?"

"You're kidding right?" The girl shot her a crazy look that told Rinoa no one was willing to take on one of these. "Protocol is always to turn flee and remain hidden until certain the trail is lost."

Rinoa looked at the girl. "Get ready then because you are going to be first in your class with some experience."

Rinoa was quick to pull up a pain spell, the best thing she could come up with to give them the edge they would need. Pain would inflict blindness, silence and poison, which altogether could cripple even the most ferocious enemy.

Casting the spell quickly proved to be a challenge as the burning pain her arm sent residual shocks that made her curse under her breath. Given this situation, Rinoa now wished that the ex-knight had not stood against her, but instead came as a source of backup.

Fear stricken brown eyes looked at Rinoa's arm in concern but before the cadet could speak, the Pylon started to hum and vibrate with increasing intensity.

Flushing sounds erupted as a mist from the top of the metal arachnid sprayed its self with an antidote melting every status ailment away.

Taking a breath, Rinoa was speechless at what she had just witnessed.

"That kind of magic won't work on it!" The younger female chided looking scrupulously at her.

"Then tell me what will!" Rinoa barked back casting a triple spell feeling it's effects move in like a rush of adrenaline. One type of magic would work on this creature, but given that using her natural sorceress abilities would out her to her companion, it was a risk she couldn't afford.

"Do you have a GF?" Rinoa inquired.

Only a slight movement towards a nod was given as Rinoa drew up the humming of power that always lurked in the background of her mind. Stirring Quetzalcoatl awake, the thunderous bird was more than anxious to greet its weakened summoner with a bolt of lightning striking the ground that shattered the concrete in the process. Sparks flew towards the Pylon, stunning it for a brief moment as the bird rose up and extended its bright, brilliant wings and released a furious call of war.

Following suit the girl, called upon the basic fire cavern Guardian Force, Ifrit. A firewall of flames came down, scorching the ground as the beast crawled out from thick smoke. It looked at its opponent with reservations. Rinoa could see that he was hardly skilled at battle yet and would not need much to take out.

All the responsibility of getting out alive was on her.

Serving a quick nod to the thunderous bird, Rinoa granted him the freedom for the all out assault it craved. The Bird flared its wings out as it delivered a screeching call that it was ready to charge in.

The smell of dust burning filled the air as the air around them charged with a volatile current that could burn the hair on their arms.

Rinoa's lips parted feeling small twitches of static effect them, as the hair on her shoulders slowly began to rise. Her younger counterpart had apparently never seen a Guardian force trained to this level as her weary expression grew while watching the bird gain flight.

In one swift move, the bird raised its head as thunder cracked around them as a bolt of lighting connected to the ground with an earsplitting crack. The bird thrust its head forward, discharging the energy it drew in from around him in a single bolt of energy that worked to power surge the Pylons mechanics.

The connection was instant, and the gears started grinding against each other as it jolted from the powerful electricity that zapped it over and over again with ever increasing energy. Satisfied the mythical bird pulled back in contemplation.

The mechanical server staggered from side to side, unable to quickly steady its self from the onslaught brutality of a fully leveled guardian force.

Turning to the girl, Rinoa shouted, "Strike now!"

Ifrit wasted no time in his response, as the air progressively grew warmer until Rinoa found herself laboring for breathable air. Casting her gaze down to her cracked leather boots, small pieces of rubble started to jar loose from around them. The fire god's fist was sending vibration into the ground rattling the world around them. One by one, each piece of rock raised up to float, as the beast raised its self into the air with its target in full focus.

Uncertain, the girl looked to Rinoa for the final command.

"Burn it," Rinoa issued, giving the cadet the courage to nod to her fire god.

The horned beast released a battle cry, raising his fist into the air, gathering the rubble from the air to collide with each other and forming a heated ball of molten core. In one grunt, Ifrit leaped up, letting his fury guide his fist into the meteor, sending its blistering fireball smashing into the mechanical foe.

The world around them flashed red, making Rinoa raise her arm to shield her face from the radiating hell that swarmed them.

The spider rocked back and fourth on its legs, its metal turned bright red and warped. Even with both combined attacks it remained functional and this time it would have its turn on them.

Two side compartments unsealed revealing machine guns heating up to fire. Rinoa reacted on pure instinct by swinging the girl behind her and used her body as a shield.

Bullets peppered sprayed the room causing an explosion of old drywall and stone around them. With deadly accuracy, many collided with Rinoa's shell knocking her back, step by step.

Clasping her shoulder that been grazed, Rinoa's left knee buckle just as roaring cannons from outside blasted through the air.

The girl wide-eyed turned towards the sounds. "That's Trabia defenses…. They're out there!"

Rinoa winced in pain while forcing her body to rise

Exhausted, Rinoa looked sideways at the machine whose lensed eye flashed again making her close her eyes for a moment. By the time she opened them, there was a new plan in place.

"Prepare to run, " Rinoa warned and then closed her eyes letting the world around her fall out of focus.

It was something she was known for, her magic. It wasn't clear to her if she had a natural affinity for magic or if her sorceress power influenced the strength of her spells. Ultima was her best ticket against enemies like this one. Maybe this would destroy her physically, but if this was her only hope she knew she had to try.

The world twisted around her as she casted the spell three times. Sinking into a black hole where not even light could escape. Stars and planets seemed to come crashing in from around them while time fluctuated dangerously as it squeezed the life from all that it touched. The machine warped greatly as the process came and went three times, causing a staggering amount of damage to both it and the sorceress.

Tears burned down her cheek as she tried to hold her mind together; meanwhile the magic violently tore through limbs. Unable to keep a hold of the spells any longer, it all ceased causing a guttural moan to release from deep inside Rinoa. In a split second, her vision tunneled and everything in front of was in a dark haze. Haggard breaths siphoned through her lips as staying conscious became her only focus. Her eyes widen as her vision quickly returned to see the machine stumble over itself and onto the ground.

This was their only chance.

"RUN!" Rinoa ordered, enveloping the girl's hand with her own.

Yanking the girl around the machine, they pushed rusted carts out of their way as they made a break for the closest exit. A red rusted door looked like their only chance, and once inside, it didn't take Rinoa very long to spot the ladder leading to the roof.

Slammed the door shut and pulled the rusted lock close. This would do nothing to stop the raging machine that would not be far behind.

Rinoa looked over to the girl who already was scaling the metal ladder. Following suit, the sound of metal scratching metal feverishly made Rinoa cringe.

Throwing open the hatch, the girl screamed for Rinoa to give her her hand. Heeding her advice, Rinoa was pulled up as just as part of the metal door hit the ground behind them.

Slamming the last barrier between them and the machine closed, Rinoa looked out into the perfect view of the ruined city around them. Rinoa pulled the distracted girl to the edge of the building to peer down below on a gray vehicle with the letters of SEED, searching for survivors.

"That's your ride," Rinoa said looking down.

"I'll just get their attention, and they can help u-"

Rinoa didn't allow the girl to speak another word as a sleep spell rolled silently off her lips. She caught the young one just in time as the hatch exploded. Shaking painfully, Rinoa kneeled down and casted a float spell on the young girl and sent her over the edge. There was no time to watch the girl slowly fall away into her rescuers arms, as a livid mechanical cry called through the air like a deadly call.

Rinoa looked over her shoulder, settling on this being her fate and her alone.

Not giving her any time to process her pain, Rinoa pushed off the ground into a dead sprint. She needed the momentum to make the jump from the department store onto the abandoned construction site adjacent. Inspiration to run faster was easy to find with the angry foe charging after her with bullets spraying.

She pushed off in one graceful vault into the smoke-filled air and allowed her body to fall victim to gravity.

Her body met hazardously with the concrete ground, causing her to roll several feet on the debris-laden ground before her body slowed to a stop. Blood was the first thing she smelled, tasted, and saw as she opened her eyes. Trying to assess the damage was useless as blood flowed from nearly everywhere. Thankfully, nothing was broken, but that did not mean standing was something her body was physically able to do.

She was able to make it to her knees before her body buckled under its own weight. The pylon had no reservation following her over the edge and landed behind her causing concrete to jut out from underneath it. Wiping her forehead and smearing the blood that oozed from a deep gash, Rinoa knew there was no way she could keep running.

"You want me?!" She yelled clenching her teeth, vicious and ready to bite. "Come and get me! I'm right here!"

The very act could get her killed, but it was her only chance of survival now.

She held nothing back as she streamlined her powers into one large cast that collided with the oncoming machine, preventing its leg from slicing down on top of her.

Agony ravaged her instantaneously as she raised her arm to chest height, allowing for the rest of her muscles to go slack and let the energy rise. It seemed that every nerve ending in her arm suffered from electric jolts that burned and burst each capillary. The pain was so white hot that Rinoa couldn't even breath as she felt the machine gain ground against her. Everything in her bones conveyed that she had to stop or be destroyed, she was too afraid to stop.

The world seemed to warp around. Her outer vision hazed before nearly blacking out.

Her magic ceased as she fell to her knees, and violent sobs left her chest. Pulling her casting arm around her, she tried to stifle the cries that ached to be released, but she had no energy to fight anymore. She had lost and knew defeat when she saw it. It was just so damn hard to accept.

The pylon was critically damaged, with wiring exposed and sparking wildly. It clawed its way over to her until it just loomed over her, just out of arms reach.

Lifeless on her knees she wondered if this was how this was all going to end. Far away from everything she loved and with the reality that knew she knew horribly distorted. She only had a moment to think that way before her world abruptly split into two.

A wave of unreality swept over her, and suddenly other consciousness occupied hers in an unlocked channel that had been silent for so long. Emotions over crowded her, and not even one seemed to belong to herself, conflicting waves that ranged anywhere from dread, pain, to violation consumed her, spinning her world drastically.

Losing further to vertigo, Rinoa collapsed fully to the ground as her mind reeled trying to restore its sanity. It was like she wasn't herself in her head. Instead, a million voices and emotions assaulted her in a firestorm she couldn't escape from.

Rinoa gripped her head, pressing her eyes shut tightly. Despite consciously knowing she was lying there before a raging monster, she felt as if she was somewhere else at the same time. Somewhere far away and far more isolated from this world.

The brute force of a metal arm pinned her flat to the ground. Rinoa strained to kick and scream, but its substantial weight rendered it useless. A shrill alarm was emitted into the air from the mechanical beast making her mind only swim more from the over stimulation consuming her world.

Then suddenly, the pain holding her mind hostage ceased as a familiar signature broke through the screaming white noise. The world around her cleared for a moment, as her heart begun to pound in its cage. She let out the breath she had been unknowingly holding, as a part of her reveled in knowledge whom the comforting influence belong too.

And all too quickly, that was ripped away from her again. The doors of her bond were slammed shut leaving her out in the cold once more. She was alone in silence with the beast on top of her.

That was until a set of running footsteps broke through the fog.

Metal had met metal, and the sounds of a blade carving into the foes weakened shell cut through. There, hacking away furiously stood Leonhart with a battle worn gunblade with a gaze that could terrify anyone at the wrong end. Disheveled and bloodied, rage rolled off him as he dismantled the spider leg by leg maliciously. Rinoa could only lay back and watch as the form she used to know moved effortlessly to evade every attack and counter back with his own. An elaborate dance the war veteran specialized in easily entranced her into stillness.

Leonhart's final act was shoving the dulled blade into the lens eye, causing machine's circuit breakers to spark before blackening out. The machine was exposed now as it emitted a hissing sound as hydraulic fluid sprayed the ground around them with a black tarry substance.

With teeth clenching, Leonhart kicked over the enemy sending it to its final resting spot amongst the other wreckage in desolated city. The finale had left the two of them in strange silence with only the distant sound of fighting as their backdrop.

Rinoa tried to pull herself up and wipe away the tears that likely had stained her, but before she could even make it to her knees, her arm violently twitched sending horrific pain shooting throughout her body.

Crying out, she fell helpless to the ground in front of the Lion she was trying to prove herself to further hurting her pride.

Leonhart, who had until that minute kept his back to her, turned breathless. They had been through a lot in the short time they had known each other. They had seen them at their highest of highs, and through the most desperate of times, but still, even now Rinoa was taken back by the amount of blood and dirt that covered him.

His hands were covered in a mixture gunblade residue and dark blood. Much of the splatter was most likely from others, but from the slashes marred with large dark stains on his shirt she knew he was far from unscathed. Cracked lips parted at seeing her.

It only took three steps before Leonhart was able to drop to his knees beside Rinoa. Not knowing his intention at first Rinoa didn't say anything until his dominate hand went for his casting arm.

"Don't!" She screamed like a wounded animal and resisted the force that would ultimately win.

Forcing her arm to stretch out, he followed the blackened tracings of nerve ending that reached out like tree branches. A broad shade of purple was her skins' new hue as the swelling had reached it maximum.

Blue-gray eyes searched in concern as rough fingertips brazenly touched her skin making her recoiled in reply. Those eyes made their way over every inch before they finally looked up to hers.

The fearless lion wasn't so fearless after all, and it probably killed him knowing that it his emotions were so openly exposed right now. Yet, as much as he probably wanted to, he didn't shy away from it. He did nothing to hide the shakiness in his hands that forced her into his arms, or try to settle the furious race in his chest that matched hers.

Shell-shocked, Rinoa remained rigid as his arms only tightened around her like a vice. Leonhart pressed the side of his face against her dirty hair as a shaking breath let him. His fingers managed to find its way into knotted strands of her hair, securing her to him as another shaky breath passed through his lips in relief.

He said nothing as he remained in that position with seemingly no intention of ever moving. As the shock began to wear off, Rinoa felt her shattered body slowly meld into his.

"Even now…" Rinoa whispered, "I feel like you will turn into dust if I hold on too tight."

She waited for a second questioning what was running through his head as he remained still.

"I was scared." She found herself admitting uncomfortable with the silence. "I was so scared. I felt this pull- a force that was calling to me.

She knew she wasn't making much sense. She licked her lips tasting her blood on them before trying again. "I was willing to walk into the middle of a war because… I felt fear."

Yes, fear. She had felt an irrational amount of fear that she would die far from where she was needed. That she was going to lose everything that had ever meant anything to her and would not have the chance to say the words she needed to say to be in peace.

Rinoa eyes drew downwards reflecting on that. All of those concerns didn't seem to match up with her reality, but at the time it had felt so real…

She stopped breathing. "That wasn't me, was it?"

Silence. Not a single world from the man who held her with such desperation that it dismayed her.

"It was your fear coming through, Leonhart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo000ooo
> 
> Layla's corner
> 
> ooo000ooo
> 
> Finally, it's here! If you like what you read let me know. If you hated, let me know! Good or Bad I can handle it all. I need the inspiration/critique to be motivated.
> 
> READ AND REVIEW!


	13. Chapter 13: Dark Reverberation

Beta: Kasidy92

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Chapter 13: Dark Reverberation

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Plummeting.

That was the word that was forthcoming as Leonhart's head leaned forcefully against Rinoa suddenly. It was like the two of them, caught in a lovers embrace, were slowly starting to descend into quicksand. The whole world around them was slowly slipping in and out of focus for her. Naturally she wanted to struggle against it but at the first sign of her resistances, his grip on her constricted, unwilling to give her freedom.

Swallowed whole, her entire being fell into inexplicable darkness where she could hardly tell if she was dead or simply dreaming. Rinoa felt a calmness in inundated them. Like a drug, it took away her willingness to fight against his soothing embrace. Small droplets of freezing rain were hitting their bodies, but she felt nothing of the coldness. She could only feel his heat radiating through hers. Squall's mind, nearly touching hers, let his strength flow between them, reenergizing her once more. Everything seemed easier in this static state within the arms of her former lover. Letting a long breath go against his neck, it seemed less of a struggle than before, and the burning effects of her magic seemed to quell as he closed his eye in amity against her. They sat there for what seemed like an eternity as the world around them burned to the ground.

Leonheart pulled away, and Rinoa realized that it hadn't been nearly long enough to satisfy the fantasy she longed for. All the comfort also left with him, leaving her with the uncomfortable abandonment she felt every day since his disappearance.

Rinoa's gaze shot to him as his solemn expression never changed. Ragged breaths seemed to come easily to her now, as her body seemed to go into instant withdrawal. Her feelings danced in confusion as she struggled to grasp the new reality that had fallen between them.

When Leonhart's complacent aura finally washed away, a complicated feeling followed.

"What was that?" she demanded to know.

Her whole body seemed less in pain, and the mag poisoning scaring her arm seemed less bothersome.

Anger, Rinoa realized. That was what she was feeling.

Trembling, she looked at Leonhart trying to put a reason as to why this emotion existed. It was slow, but after a heartbeat or two it was all starting to become clearer to her.

Rinoa searched exhausted features for the truth, "Back there… was that us?"

Her thoughts were unclear, and she didn't know how else to put it. The world had just divided in an instant leaving something old and familiar in its wake. She had experienced a feeling like that once long ago when she had been caught in two times and found him asleep he was never supposed to wake up from.

Then back there, her world had divided once more right before Leonhart arrived. She didn't understand it at first because something had changed about it, but now she was more certain than ever what it was.

Rinoa's soft brown eyes searched his oil and blood-streaked face for the truth, "Back there. That was our bond wasn't it? You've been keeping me closed out of it this whole time, haven't you?"

Cracked lips parted for a second, as Leonhart's icy eyes watched her with displeasure from her figuring it out.

"I thought the bond between us was broken. " Rage filled her voice as she leaned further away from him. "But that wasn't it, was it? I thought my mind was being ripped to shreds, but that was you opening the bond back up."

His graveled voice thick with fatigue. "It was my only means to find you-"

"So you do not deny it. You're purposely trying to keep me out. Even right now I feel it. I can feel something I couldn't before! You're emotions... The bond… You feel it too, don't you? That's why you are having trouble letting go of me, isn't it?"

The impenetrable wall remained silent with his fingers gripping firmly around her arms. Proof that he was still struggling with whatever just transpired between them.

There was no choice but for her to dive head first into her theory. Forcefully she removed his hands from her and the moment his touch left her she felt a devastating break happen between them.

Her eyes widen in concern, as she visibly seemed to be shaken by the sudden absence. Even Leonhart winced and had to look down to gather his wits from the sudden loss of contact.

"None of this makes sense Leonhart. You're the one who was calling me to you when the fighting broke out. But all you have done until now was to pretend you wanted nothing to do with me. Your words say one thing, but your actions say something entirely different. Why?"

Of course she knew the damn fool in front of her would remain quiet. His face quickly changed into that of a perfect SeeD. Cold and lifeless, his features remained neutral and watchful, unaffected by anything coming out of her mouth. This wasn't working. She was hoping she could shake him enough to slip at least somewhere. Then it occurred to her that one major piece was suddenly missing in this picture.

"Why isn't Sarvis with you?" Rinoa suddenly questioned.

That was enough to make Leonhart pull back a fraction of an inch. Slate blue eyes looked away in a manner not dignified for a SeeD of his standing. Shame was something Rinoa had trouble digesting from him, but there he was open and more exposed than he ever had in his life.

"I've never seen you two apart for longer than a few moments, but you abandon her in a war zone?" Rinoa scoffed at this minor discrepancy. "This goes everything against what SeeD teaches."

"This is something she can't ever know about, " he coldly stated in a brief moment of honesty.

Rinoa let out a small exasperated breath, "But why?"

Leonhart looked down in a moment of uncomfortable silence. Rinoa wasn't willing to let this go without a fight, but the sound of gun firing beat her words to him.

A second was all it took for an instinct to react quicker than her mind could. Rinoa grasped his arm and pulled him as hard as she could out of harms way, but his body jolted from the impact.

His face seemed emotionless from shock, as a needle stuck out from his arm. Gasped as she saw she had failed to protect him.

With one swift movement, he grimaced and yanked it out and placed pressure on the wound as to block the poison that was quickly disbursing throughout his body.

Still in a state of disbelief Rinoa looked up to see an airship slowly making its way towards their rooftop.

"Well, this was an unexpected move from you Leonhart," a familiar voice spoke as it traveled through the smog. "Not exactly what we were looking for when we saw the white SeeD ship, but it will do."

Standing at the open hatch was several men, but Rinoa searched for the one voice she recognized and found him smirking amongst the guns trained on them.

Clenching her teeth as memories of spending months in the frozen Trabian streets came all flooding back. The ruthless bar and its one strange bar patron who had flashed the only picture of Squall in a world which had forgotten him stood out in his tan trench coat.

"Sil," Leonhart acknowledged like a curse between labored breaths. Rinoa looked to Leonhart with concern, as the man with the trench coat named Sil pitied the scene before him.

"Ms. Heartilly. You were a little liar weren't you? I told you we would meet again. I just never expected it to be here."

Rinoa went on to glare at the man she had met another lifetime ago as soldiers methodically jumped from the aircraft to form a shield of protection around their leader.

Rinoa started to rise, but Leonhart quickly grasped her arm. "No… not with the mag poisoning."

Rinoa couldn't miss the labored speech coming from him. His face was already starting to glisten with sweat as his eyes fluttered from disorientation. Whatever had injected into him was hitting his system like with devastating consequence. It was like nothing Rinoa had ever seen before, and she feared he wouldn't last long.

"What did you do to him?" Rinoa was only going to ask once. Mag poison or not, she was going to protect them both if the need arises.

"Just a little a synthetic poison called Cerexil, Love." A new voice entered the equation. His Dollet accent was as thick as his black hair that was cropped into a short wild mess.

The Dollet man stood on the ship next to Sil with his hands buried deep in the pummeled pockets of his gray jeans. Strong built arms were battered with old scars that contrasted in pigment with his dark olive skin. Hidden under his rolled-up green thermal shirt was sculpted muscles with fragments of old black tattoos that had been damaged by injuries of war. His penetrating green eyes smirked from behind symmetrical cut facial features that held an edge of danger that made Rinoa grow weary. The roughage on his face was not enough to distract her from the uneven old burn marks trailing down his neck.

Just looking at him made her instantly uncomfortable. Despite being a good looking man, there was no mistaking he was a man who could inflict a lot of pain and likely did so on a regular basis. But that wasn't why she felt the need to look away. It was his emerald eyes kept level with hers, with no apologies, as if he had done it a million times before. She felt her skin crawl.

Turning her attention back to where it should be, she saw she was losing Leonhart.

"Leonhart you've to stay with me, Okay?" She whispered to him, but she was unsure if he even heard her as he shook his head.

Just then the two of strangers disembarked to the ground causing the settled dust to fly up around them.

Fearlessly, Rinoa turned to them with anger raging in her voice. "One more step and I will kill all of you!"

It was Sil who laughed, unlike his counterpart who remained serious as he continued to look at her in a violating way.

"Make this peaceful then Rinoa and come on your own terms," Sil demanded.

Laughter erupted from her as she stood on her own two feet.

"You think I'm going to let you take me away?" She asked in earnest.

Rinoa widened her stance as the wind started to pick up around them causing the light ran to hit them at a slant, burning her skin where the mag poisoning festered. The storm was growing closer. Rinoa could feel the violent winds that would tear through here soon bring on a whole new host of issues.

The Dollet man next to Sil was the one who answered her with a small smirk.

"Aye, for as long as I've know you've never made anything easy for me. Can't expect it now."

Leonhart's arm was suddenly extended for support as his body doubled over.

Rinoa could only give a quick glance down before returning the threat, "Then I suggest you walk away before the option is gone."

Guns lifted upwards, but it was the Dollet man who's eyes watched with intrusive intrigue who tisked them into behaving.

The guns started to lower like obedient dogs afraid of their master. Rinoa was finding it difficult to catch her breath now with jaded eyes burrowing in on her.

Leaving Sil's side, the Dollet man fearlessly walked through the rain towards her stopping short of actually passing his guards. He looked down mockingly at Squall, who was struggling to keep his head in the conversation.

Rinoa glanced down to see beads of sweat trailing down from his temple. Face flushed bright red she knew she wouldn't have much time.

"You sure that's the right decision?" He questioned her carefully. "You've got all the answers?"

Rinoa could feel her heart beating faster the longer she struggled for a reply. Right now there were too many questions tripping her up when she needed to be the strongest most.

"Just let me ask one little question, Dahling. Who around you has your true best interest at heart?" He questioned seeing the insecurity in her silent reply. "They all have ulterior motives, don't they?"

"Shut up." She said through gritted teeth.

He flashed a brilliant smile as he laughed, "Don't even try to hide it, do they? You will trust them with your life, completely unaware of what's at risk. These are the same damn fools that promised you protection but turn their backs as when their corrupted corporation asked them too!"

His voice echoed as thunder rolled in from the distance. The Dollet man started to shake his head, disheartened by her lack of curiosity. "Are you sure you don't need to ask more questions? Like why our side fights like its life or death?"

Rage unleashed from Leonhart as he attempted to attack not making it fully upright before fall to his hands and knees

The man watched Leonhart try to recover with disdain. "I can only imagine the world of darkness they keep you in. . Something I've never done to you. Come with us and we wouldn't hide anything because we don't have skeletons to hide. There is nothing wrong with the truth!"

"Liar." Leonhart whispered as he gasped to keep conscious.

"We've all had more faith in you than this coward has ever had. It didn't even take him a minute to sell tear you apart when you needed him the most!"

Leonhart cursed at him unintelligibly from beside her.

Rinoa stood unsure. The truth had more appeal than she ever thought possible. The man could see exactly where her doubt lied and knew exactly how to target them.

"I suppose we haven't seemed that trustworthy to you in the past." The Dollet man growled looking behind him at Sil, who rolled his eyes at the snarky reference.

"Then tell me, Dahling, what I can do for you to prove I'm worthy your loyalty. What kind of peace offering would show you we have no intentions of hurting you?"

Rinoa knew staying silent was her only option at this point, as the man smiled slowly watching Leonhart failing to remain conscious.

"What about that one girl?" The Dollet's eyes fluttered to hers with intrigue. "That White SeeD keeper of his. Should I kill her for you?"

Rinoa was stunned by the proposition. As if that were to mean something of value to her.

"How is her death a peace offering?" Rinoa growled insulted under her breath.

He laughed casually for a moment.

"I just thought if I got rid of the only thing tying him to SeeD you might reconsider your position."

Rinoa narrowed her eyes as she tried to assess his statement.

"You think their relationship is the only thing keeping him with SeeD?" She balked.

"Relationship?" He laughed in disgusted surprise, "You think that is what that is? If that was true, why would SeeD have him train her as an executioner in case he tries to defect from the organization?"

All her racing thoughts stopped at once. Rinoa watched his face carefully for some sign of deceit, but he held steadfast in his testimony. She had to remind herself that lying to some people came just as easy as telling the truth.

But then why was Rinoa struggling not to believe him?

The man's sea green eyes flashed with understanding as he ran his hands through his hair. "I see. You actually bought her as a fuck buddy. You're truly fighting this battle blindly my love. You're a sheep following its shepherd not understanding that its master is holding a blade."

The Sil shifted suddenly raising his hand to his ear.

"SeeDs has us outnumbered now. They want us to pull back. We are under orders to grab her and leave no one alive," he barked out the instructions.

A new voice entered the fray, "You could try that, but I've got a different plan."

Rinoa looked behind her seeing Seifer standing with a gunblade extended while holding a menacing stare. His face was showing nothing of weakness, but Rinoa could see that he was holding a war-damaged blade in the wrong hand as the other hung lifelessly to his side. Not standing perfectly straight, he was working his angle well, but Rinoa knew his battle stance well enough to know it was a bluff.

The man smiled curiously seeing Seifer for the first time, "I must congratulate you. Not many can sneak up on us the way you have. You have talent Mr….?"

Seifer narrowed his eyes in rejection of pleasantries, "Makes no difference to me if you know my name when I run this through you. So let's not play games. I've had a pretty fucked up day, and I don't seem to play well with others."

"Settled then. Let's not play games." The man said analyzing him closer. "You're suffering from severe internal mag poisoning. I'm surprised you're able to walk let alone make empty threats at us."

Rinoa looked back but couldn't look Seifer in the eye. Guilt crashed into her for not realizing that she may have seriously injured him. Once more, she had gone in with an idealistic plan that had seemed plausible only to realize how naïve she was.

"What can I say?" Seifer shrugged casually, unfazed by his weakness being exposed. "Psychopathic ex-girlfriend. Still won't prevent me from propelling this wretched piece of metal up your ass."

The man's eyes brightened with recognition, "Ah yes, she's talked about you many times, Almasy. I'm surprised I didn't catch on to who you were. You're unkempt compared to what she had described, still, you're a hard one to miss. It's interesting he has chosen, you of all people, to rely on."

Returning his focus back to Rinoa, he looked at her with sympathy, "Must really bring up a lot of questions Rinoa? Is that SeeD really who you think he is? Was he ever? What kind of bullshit and deceptions has he led you into because you're willing to trust the teenager you remember? Start asking questions Rinoa! Because you're walking into a battle where only one will win!"

Seifer's face betrayed nothing as he stood silently watching the man.

"My orders are to take you by force if necessary, but I'm not going to do that." The Dollet man shrugged casually.

Sil looked objectionable to the man with dark emerald eyes.

"I see that my words caused doubt in your eyes. I think a small part of you knows there is too much truth in what I'm saying to disregard it safely. I know you'll come to me by your free will."

"Don't hold your breath." Rinoa said with a dry throat.

A smile cracked again, "We already know that you will because you have. It just might take you awhile to see that you need me. When you do, you'll find me. You always do."

Sil exploded upon hear that.

"The hell we are just leaving without her! What will Heartilly think of us if we came back empty handed?"

"I'll tell her the truth. It was my decision," the man said with irritation of having to explain himself.

"Collin, the sorceress has a shoot on sight order for him. If we take him out, half the war will end right here!" Sil shouted out, glaring at the defenseless Leonhart next to Rinoa. "I don't give a shit what you say! I will not let him out of our sights again!"

Rinoa was about to act in defense when she saw the one thing she did not expect, and that was Collin reaching behind him to pull out an old black revolver. The click of the safety being release was the only warning Sil had before the shot rang out.

She did her best to suppress the scream on its way out, but she was too horrified by the sight of red content's splattering across the pavement for it to have any effect.

Sil's knees buckled as a red river ran down from where a piece of his skull was missing. His body hit the ground with a thud forcing Rinoa to deviate her eyes from the sight. Seifer only raised an eyebrow at the friendly fire.

"Have the need to join him?" He asked his soldier's politely through his thick accent.

All the guards remained in shock, but slowly lowered their guns in submission.

Rinoa could only imagine the power the man must have to wield cruel acts like this with no fear of mutiny from men who could easily outnumber him.

Stepping on to the aircraft, Collins looked back to her as the soldier's followed.

"He might survive the night. Bloody knows, that man has survived worse. When you're ready to see the truth, we can make sure he'll get what he deserves."

Rinoa said nothing as he delivered a smiled both dangerous and all knowing. The unsettling feeling that he knew what she thought of him came over her. He let out a private laugh as his eyes danced with lust before giving her a wink before the doors closed.

Heat blasted those still on the ground as the boosters on aircraft ignited pushing it into the air. Rinoa shielded Leonhart from the little rocks that pelted them as they ascended into the sky.

Seifer buckled to his knees behind her, too exhausted to make it any closer as he kept a close watch of the airships navigating away.

Rinoa went to find Leonhart's pulse, but her touch seemed to breathe life into him as his pale blue eyes shot open.

"Calm down!" she warned him as his eyes darted around wildly as if he saw demons drawing in. His body then constricted as his face pulled away in pain that made him cry out.

"Leonhart?" Rinoa frantically called out to him.

The focus in his eyes seemed like they wanted to find her voice, but their lids struggled to remain open. Rinoa hoisted him into her lap as she realized she was helpless to help.

"Leonhart!" She ordered causing his eyes to open once more to find the source of the command.

"Temp…," his tortured voice tried to speak from shaking lips that were losing color, "Temp-"

His hand awkwardly shot to her face smearing gunblade residue into the mixture of blood and dirt that were already present. His lips trembled as the intensity of his eyes beseeched her to understand.

Rinoa choked back a sob as her fingers raked through sweat-soaked hair before resting on the side of his face. She did her best to try and shield his body from the small raindrops that acted like knives against his feverish skin.

"We have to get him out of here," Seifer called over a crack of thunder in the distance.

"How?" she asked unable to control the paralyzing fear of seeing him in such pronounced pain. "He's dying. We have to do something..."

Then she thought back to the bond and what Leonhart had done earlier. He had healed her once, was it possible to do it again?

Seifer's head rose up as he growled. "Don't do it Rinoa."

Her focus snapped back to him.

Seifer delivered a menacing look as he breathed hard against the rain, it was intended to frighten her but by now she seemed to be immune to him.

"How did you find me, Seifer?" Rinoa asked, watching him carefully. "Of all of the rooftops, how did you know I was on this one?"

His bloodshot eyes looked up through thick eyelashes and smirked as if that was a stupid question.

"Lucky guess."

Pausing a minute, she took a minute to process that possibility. What kind of odds would that amount to?

She took a wild stab in the dark when she asked, "Then why won't you come closer to me?"

Seifer's ever present smirk faltered as he continued to pierce her with his scowl.

Rinoa looked down at the man wasting away in her lap. "Leonheart opened the bond didn't he? It was only for a second, but I felt my mind splitting apart. I thought I was losing my mind, but that's not what it was, was it?"

Rinoa looked up to him, noticed that Seifer was on edge. She was on the right track, and that only made her angrier.

"Seifer, I was in more than one mind."

The rain poured down his face as he tightened his jaw.

"Seifer," Rinoa dared, "Why are you a part of our bond?"

Her heart was ready to explode out of her chest, but instead of the sound of her heart, the sound of airships nearing was their only precursor before being blinded by a white light from up above.

Both time travelers raised their hands in a vain attempt to recover some sight, but it was pointless, as every direction seemed to be flooded.

Rinoa could hear the feet of trained precision soldiers quickly surrounding them, followed by the sounds of guns being raised. There were magic users amongst them. Rinoa could smell the magic being summoned.

Moving cautiously as not to alarm anyone around them, both Rinoa and Seifer rose with their hands above their heads. The light shifted giving them their sight back, and Rinoa wasn't particularly surprised when she saw they were surrounded by a small group of Trabian Solider's with high-powered weapons trained on her.

"Stop!"

Rinoa searched for the face belonging to the familiar voice that managed to carry over the sound of rain dancing off the metal aircrafts.

"That's her! That's the white SeeD who saved me! You've got to believe me! It's her!" shouted a younger voice.

A small break in the line of soldiers appeared as a young girl rushed forward into the light before another body joined.

Rinoa's breath stilled as the second figure approach with caution. Her lifeless brown hair hung down a bit past the shoulders as blunt bangs flattened across her creaseless forehead. Her Trabian black and purple officer's uniform looked as if it could have fit her back in her cadet days, it just fit her small frame like a glove. Her leather combat boots came to a rough stop on the graveled rooftop.

Rinoa squinted against the light, but she knew what she saw had to be real. It was difficult not to have a flutter of happiness despite so many guns training on her, itching to shoot, but still couldn't hide her awe.

"Selphie?" The name quickly came out of her with a mixture of awe and surprise.

Rinoa just couldn't help it. Her friend still to carried her youthful looks as if time had not passed. The only exception was the soulless glare she gave and lack of a smile. Rinoa waited hoping that something would change. That she would see Rinoa and realize she was different and would call out to her before breaking her back in a fierce hug.

Instead of any of those things, Selphie's nostrils flared as her gun raised even with Rinoa's face.

Blinking a few times at the barrel of her friend's gun, Rinoa knew she should have expected this kind of reaction. It was just such a far departure from her old friend's personality that it made Rinoa nearly well up with tears.

The cold hard exterior looking back at her saw nothing more than a hated creature, one that has terrorized the world for years and taken away the life of her child.

"What's wrong Tilmitt? No warm and fuzzies for us?" Seifer asked as if this was the time for casual conversation.

Rinoa eyes widened as she glanced back towards Seifer. Was he trying to get her shot?

A new body entered the fray next to Selphie, but this time it was one Rinoa was thankful to see.

The battered but otherwise healthy looking pre-teen from the start of Rinoa's journey grabbed the headmistress's uniformed jacket in a small attempt for it all to end.

"Please, headmistress! This is the White SeeD who saved me from the Pylon!"

"Myla, stand down."

A panicked confusion swiped the young blonde's face as she continued to hold on to the edge of the Headmistress's uniform.

"Sorceress Heartilly," Selphie spoke like she was spewing venom.

The preteen's eyes widened, before looking to Rinoa

"That's not the sorceress," the young one defended.

"Not yet," Selphie acknowledged halfheartedly. "Wait by the craft."

The girl looked to Rinoa with a new fear and obeyed by turning her back on her. Rinoa knew it was wrong to pin her hopes on the kid for saving her. Once the girl was far enough away, Seifer scoffed.

"You heard the pipsqueak. She saved her ass! Think we could get a reception that doesn't include a twenty-one gun salute?"

Rinoa winced trying hard to block out the damage Seifer was adding to this already dangerous scenario.

"Selphie, we're on the same side." Rinoa clarified hearing guns loading all around her.

Rinoa froze even more petrified now.

Selphie's eyes trained in on the sorceress. "We are not on the same side."

Breathing shallowly, Rinoa tested the water again.

"We were once. We can be again. Squall here…. They hit him with a dart with some of kind of poison… celex?"

She had trouble recalling, sending her further into a panic.

"It's Cerexil, Selphie," Seifer clarified "What does that often cause? Hallucinations? Fevers? Neurological symptoms that shut down the body? Seems like you should probably worry more about saving him, then killing us."

"It only takes a minute to put a hundred bullets through the both of you." Selphie glared.

That hardly did anything to stop Seifer from copping an attitude. "But you haven't yet. That's gotta mean something, doesn't it?"

"Would you stop encouraging them to shoot us?" Rinoa turned slightly towards knight until the sound of guns raising reminding her how bad of an idea that was.

"If that not enough of a reason to stand down, I can give you one more reason."

Rinoa knew that low sultry voice from anywhere. The new presence was surprising to nearly everyone but Seifer.

The element of surprise always determined how quickly their fights would go in the past. From the look of surprise crossing the brunette's face at seeing Lani with her gunblade pressing into a terrified Myla's neck, apparently they shifted the advantage to their team.

It was evident from Seifer's sudden movement forward that he had purposely created the distraction for this outcome. Rinoa still didn't understand why he was acting so confident now; the threat was hardly over.

"We don't have time to waste on your drama, Tilmitt. Your group carries the antidote we need so be obliging." Seifer demanded an with an irritating smile.

It was foreign to see Selphie with such anger in her eyes. Even in the dark days there was fear, sadness, and determination. Outright wrath seemed like a far departure for the positivity she always projected. Left with no other options, a short nod came from the short brunette and the sound of tin rolling on the ground.

"Finally." Seifer grumbled making a move for it first.

Rinoa watched as he moved to pick up the canister and delivered it to Leonhart next to her. She couldn't help but look over her shoulder setting off a chain of events. .

In rapid response to her sudden movement, Selphie snapped back and targeted Rinoa with her gun, inspiring Lani to nick the flesh of the student who cried out in fear.

"Wait!" Rinoa screamed, raising her hand out to both Lani and Selphie. Frantically looking at the two of them, Rinoa wasn't sure what her next plan of attack should be. She was so afraid that just breathing at this point would be enough for them to end it all.

"Does your student's life mean so little to you?" Lani applied her tactics towards the headmistress.

"We are SeeDs. Our mission is to stop her at any cost including our own lived," Selphie repeated the mantra, but there was a moment where Rinoa could see even she couldn't fully comply with that ingrained thought.

"You can have it both ways," Rinoa suggested quickly gaining Selphie's attention and Lani's dismay.

Rinoa nodded slowly. "I don't want there to be any more bloodshed. There hasn't been a single moment where I haven't been thinking about the lives that ended because of me. I want this to end, Selphie. I want to help you- SeeD, in taking back what I stole."

Rinoa looked at the little girl who's complexion had gone entirely white; the blade tittered at piercing her skin further.

Rinoa turned back to Selphie. "Let me help you take fix what I've done."

The unfamiliar coldness in Selphie's eyes wavered for only a moment before a swift judgment passed. "You always thought you could just talk your way out of any situation. Maybe at one point that would've meant something to me, but were talking about my child. You can't bring him back! My heart is a stone because of you and nothing with fix it until I see you die!"

"So shoot her. That would make a great show." Seifer heckled.

Rinoa didn't have the courage to move at this point, but in her head was calculating if she would have enough time to get off an Ultima on his ass before she was shot to death.

Lani nodded while speaking in a cold, calculating voice, "I'm confident I could get this blade through both of us before one of your men could fire a single shot."

"And what good would that do you?" Selphie asked.

"Seems like your plan was half-baked, messenger girl." Seifer snared making the petite woman turn her attention towards the giant. "Sure you'd get your final revenge on Rinoa, but she'd get the last laugh."

"What is the rapid dog going on about?" Selphie asked for clarification.

Rinoa's heart stopped as she looked at every single gun pointed at her. After a moment, she swallowed thickly understanding where Seifer and Lani's confidence was coming from, although the thought made her ill.

"I can't die, Selphie, without transferring my powers," Rinoa answered, neither happy nor relieved by this realization. "If Myla and Lani are dead, who would be the only option?"

Unsteadily, Selphie started to glance at the soldiers around her and to her horror, not one of them happened to be female. The realization hit Selphie like an emotionally charged lightning strike.

Cursing out loud, she lowered her gun, seeing her advantage evaporate.

This was far from the way Rinoa hoped things would go. They were winning this standoff on a mere technicality leaving Rinoa with a hole in her chest at seeing how devastated her friend had become. She had wished for if the chance to encounter Selphie hoping that pouring her soul out to her could erase the pain she had brought upon to her friend. There was no denying how selfish that was. The only route open to her now was forcing her to submit to defeat. The idea wasn't settling well with Rinoa.

"Is this really what you want? You're protecting the enemy." Selphie side glanced towards Lani.

"You know my teacher, " Lani said nodding towards Leonhart. "If completing my objective means I have to shield the enemy then I'll do it."

"Pathetic, " Selphie mocked. "More will die because of you."

Feeling sick about the only option left to her, Rinoa submitted to the truth.

"Selphie, you know there are not many options for you to have your revenge. The best possibility now is to use me. Having me will give your troops the means to stop this war once and for all."

"You know it's true Tilmitt." Lani pushed further. "Seed is running out of options and supplies. All of the gardens are struggling to keep operational-"

"One isn't." Selphie snarled bitterly at the idea of Galbadia still being neutral.

Seifer looked exasperated at the jab. "You and your former lover can continue your love-hate fuck all after this shit is said and done, but right now we need ALL Gardens to commit as ONE. Then it's over, and your stupid Garden's can rebuild."

Selphie laughed in disbelief. "You think you can convince Irvine to trade sides?"

"I know I can convince him," Rinoa spoke up gathering everyone's attention.

Rinoa shrugged slightly feeling uncomfortable. "This isn't the future I wanted for myself. If I had known that this would be my future. Well, I would've chosen to remain in space. You think if I ask for his help, he will refuse?"

Selphie's look hardened in the rain as she silently considered it.

"Tilmitt…"

Rinoa looked down to see a Leonhart flushed red from his fever breaking. Weakened so severely, all he could do is look at her from the ground he whispered, "You've disagreed with every decision I've ever made since this began. You know why I've done what I've done. Now it's time... It's time to end this. Don't let your personal hatred towards me get in the way of this."

Forgetting the guns, Rinoa dropped to one knee hearing every gun train on her once more.

"Are you okay? You scared me there for a while." Rinoa asked as he struggled not to fall back into the darkness.

"Careless mistake," Leonheart muttered doing anything in his power to not look at Rinoa. Instead, his focus drifted to Selphie once more. "What's it going to be Selphie?"

"You've got me at the disadvantage, so what other options do I have? Mark my words though, give me another chance at her, and there won't be any more mistakes," Selphie cussed out in hatred before giving her soldiers a sharp order. "Withdraw!"

All soldiers responded to the order, but it was with mechanical movements like movements that showed they had trouble with that command and honestly never removed their eyes off of Rinoa.

Rinoa returned the favor with a glare until she saw Lani still holding the child.

"Lani?" Rinoa questioned why the White SeeD hadn't moved to let the girl go.

Selphie remained eye to eye on the holdout, but Lani refused to play along.

"I'll release the girl when I know you're a safe distance away. Don't try to play games with me. I wouldn't think twice about taking her life." The firm threat left Lani's lips leaving an obvious poor taste in Selphie's mouth as she swallowed her pride.

Selphie turned her attention to the sorceress with one final glare. Nothing but contempt flowed to her as she slowly started to walk backward to the waiting aircraft in defeat.

Rinoa knew if they ever had a chance to meet again, Selphie would make good on her threat. It was hard to watch her go knowing there was no resolution between them. She just was thankful for her life had been spared.

"Let go," Leonhart said shrugging away from Rinoa's touch.

Frowning at the fool belligerent behavior, Rinoa chided, "Hey easy now, you're not in any position to refuse my help ok. You've still got a small fever."

As much as Rinoa could see him wanting to refute that idea, he struggled even to make it to his knees before individual muscles would grow weak and buckle. The antidote was weakening the poison, but by no means was it an instant cure.

Lani forced her captive forward so she could check on the Lion, who had surrendered to his current position.

"You only had one job." Lani sneered with contempt at Seifer.

Seifer balked at her outrage.

"And a hell of a job you did yourself. Mine's a world dominating sorceress, what's your fucking excuse?"

"There is no point in arguing about this now, " Rinoa broke in between them before looking seeing the terrified child. "Lani is really that necessary?"

"Depends on how much you like living." Lani retorted.

"Are you her?" The girl asked with a trembling voice. "Are you the Sorceress? Are you going to kill me?"

"Be quiet!" Lani shouted shaking the girl violently.

"Layoff, okay?" Rinoa scolded which was not well received by the White SeeD.

Rinoa looked at the terrified child, "Yes, well sort of. I'm her but from the past."

The terrified girl only grew more confused as watched Rinoa with fear.

Frowning further Rinoa conceded, "It's a bit complicated, but I meant it when I told you I was here to end the war. That's what matters and I need you to tell your headmistress that. She's not going to believe you, but you need to tell her anyway. Tell her how I saved you from the Pylon. Tell her we are ending this together."

Seifer looked up at the storming sky above them as the rain pelted his face. "So you say, but you just put Selphie on contingent on Kennis joining. Not exactly like we have a plan on how to accomplish that."

"As I said before, let me worry about it." Rinoa bit back.

"Fine, have at it. I frankly don't give a shit as long as we get off this damn scrapyard of an Island." Seifer cursed while standing up.

Without anyone's permission, the ex-knight threw his sword to the side and started drifting towards the docks mumbling.

Ignoring him, Rinoa looked back to the Lani.

"Just let her go okay? She doesn't deserve that."

Taking that statement with amusement, Lani lifted her hands from the girl, swinging her massive gunblade away. As she predicted, the girl turned to run without taking one look back.

Lani raised an eyebrow at her point being made, but Rinoa was just glad to see the standoff over without another name being added to her list of growing guilt.

"We better find cover until we can meet up with the ship because if I were that girl I would be sending her team back to kill us," Lani said walking to Leonhart. "Can you walk?"

Leonhart raised a gloved hand to hers and was hoisted to his unsteady feet. Pain spread through him but forced it away from showing in his expression.

"No choice but too," he said in a ragged breath.

Rinoa let a slow breath go in relief as the wind ravaged over the rooftop making sent her body shivering. She had been so focused on the life and death encounter that she didn't realize how her body had dropped in temperature.

She climbed her feet as she caught Lani ask Leonhart a question she wasn't suppose to hear.

"Is there any cause for me to be concerned?"

Rinoa had diverted her attention to pretend she couldn't hear them, but ruse came to an end when she felt something in her tremble. Like a rubber band being stretched to its limit, every vibration could be felt in the bond as it grew closer to snapping.

"No," Leonhart stated.

Apparently the White SeeD believed him, as she turned away to let him walk on his own.

Leonheart sensed her eyes on him and jumped to her unapologetic stare, knowing he had just lied. He just lied to the one person he had no reason to lie too… Or did he?

Collin's little bait about Lani kept reverberating in her mind as Leonhart kept his poised vision leveled with hers while a bloodstained finger rose to rest on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> Layla's Corner
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> Stories like this one takes up a lot of time to craft and create. Show your writer some love and review. I promise you people only stay interested in a fandom where there is encouragement!
> 
> READ AND REVIEW!


	14. Chapter 14: Dreams Unresolved

Beta: Bebedora

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Chapter 14: Dreams Unresolved

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Watching the red liquid swirl around the drain at the base of her feet was mesmerizing. No matter how many times Rinoa tried to wash it away, the water never seemed to remain clear for very long speaking of about the colossal failure her mission had been. Her body ached at every joint, and every muscle seemed to be over exerted. It was certain that she would be reminded of this previous ordeal for days to come.

Wincing, she turned off the water, watching the last bit of nearly clear water circle the drain. Her senses finally snapped back from the exhausted haze she had been feeling since her return to the ship. It had taken hours for them to safely get back to the port without detection. In that entire time, no one spoke to each other as they waited for the white Seed ship to return.

Seifer had physical faired the worse, by her own hand regrettably. The few times Rinoa dared to glance his way, she could see him actively trying to hide the discomfort the rain was having on on his mag poisoning. It was apparent with every convulsion of his body that shivering was magnifying his discomfort. The only thing she could do for him then was to turn a blind eye for the sake of his ego.

Much like the perfect SeeD, Lani's façade remained nonaligned with her emotions as she waited eerily still for the ship's return. However, the one thing Rinoa had learned from her time around SeeDs was that when one was that still, you could be sure that their mind was anything but quiet.

Unsure if this feeling was spurred on by the man who was attempting to bait her with her own insecurities, Rinoa suddenly had a hard time turning her back to the silent white SeeD. Her accompaniment started to feel more and more like an executioner beside its prisoner than a trustworthy part of her own party.

Squall's eyes never left the ground, as the roaring seas slowly became calm. Dull and grey, they remained untrained, with his mind lost in a storm of thoughts. The connection between them had been sealed off completely in the field, but a phantom feeling now lingered where it had once resided. Like sensing someone on the other side of the door before the knock, that feeling of being so close, but rejected, was maddening. Rinoa had hoped he would look up for a moment to give her a small window into his own head, but as with everything else, luck was not on her side.

With the ship now out of the storm's path, the swaying of the vessel was nearly undetectable as it glided through the dark waters. A small part of her prayed for the soothing rocking to continue, as a means to keep her racing mind preoccupied.

Of course if one hoped for something, it naturally would not happen.

Most everyone else on board took the opportunity to sleep in this moment of peace, leaving the vessel reminiscent of a ghost ship. Even as she walked back to her room from the wash hall, the hull remained abandoned of any visible life. So when the muffled sounds of a fight breaking out spilled into the hallway, it was more then enough to draw Rinoa's attention away from the task of acquiring sleep.

She hesitated in the hallway for a moment, weighing the need for sleep against the dangers her curiosity seemed brings her. The healthy part of her mind told her nothing good could come from investigating the commotion. But it was the same thought that propelled her towards the room where light still poured out from underneath its door. Glass shattering against the floor welcomed her to its threshold, as well an intense argument from someone she recognized right away.

Cautiously, Rinoa looked around to see if the ruckus had alerted anyone else into investigating, but all else laid quiet as the sound of furniture falling to the floor pulled her in once more.

Rinoa cautiously leaned in towards the door as the violence subsided. His voice was muffled but the low base of it alone would always be distinct enough to cause her heart to lurch painfully in her chest. Whatever Leonhart had said, caused another glass to meet its end on the floor, making Rinoa jump back.

Giving one last look to the darkness, Rinoa gave into the temptation, placing her ear flat against the door. She allowed her eyes to close, channeling all her energy on hearing the conversation within the room.

"….you haven't slept in days! If that's not losing it… if all of this isn't a sign of losing …"

The voice was Lani's, fading in and out as she moved around the room. Rinoa flinched back in anticipation as the voice got closer to the door. When Lani moved away once more, she resumed her eavesdropping."]

"I can't," Leonhart's voiced under his breath. "Not with her this close."

From the distant sound of his voice, Rinoa could tell he wasn't facing towards the door, but at least now with Lani's newfound position, half of the conversation was much clearer.

"It's not like me to doubt your capabilities-" Lani spoke clearly before a muddled reply interrupted her.

"But you do now?"

A brief silence grew as Rinoa flanked each side of the doorframe in order to hear the sound of his voice better.

"You can't even look me in the eyes and tell me I shouldn't." Her retort was sharp and to the point, drawing out a breath from Leonhart.

"Leave this alone. We're at the end now. Nothing…" The sound of papers being crumpled drowned out the rest, leaving Rinoa to simply try to guess what the last few words were.

"You know why I can't." Lani's voiced wearily. "You need to tell me that you have this bond under control. Tell me she won't find a way to break through."

Silence came from the other side of the door and Rinoa was certain that was actually the chosen response by Leonhart. Just not one she didn't hear.

"Stop drinking and take this seriously!" Lani's voice grew harsh as a sound of a skin making contact with skin caused a glass to shatter against the ground, "What the hell are you doing, Leonhart? Look me in the eyes and tell me I shouldn't be worried! If you tell me Squall… I'll believe you. I promise I'll take you at your word, but you need to say it!"

Rinoa heard his slow reply after a heart-stopping minute, "You know why I won't say it then."

The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. Rinoa desperately tried to connect the dots. Parts of the conversation were masked, but undoubtedly this was something so serious that it made the nearly always calm Lani emotional. With that said, even something deep down in Rinoa was causing her to have a physical reaction. She felt hot and shaky as the connection strained to remain closed under the pressure he was experiencing. Undoubtedly this was the reason why Lani wanted the bond completely severed.

Lani's voice cracked at the realization. "You can't do this, Squall. You can't do this to us."

"Damn it, would you stop!" The fire exploded from Leonhart as his voice erupted without care that anyone could hear him. "You always thought that there was some choice in this! There never was ever a choice, Lani! From day one this is what I was given!"

"There is a choice!" Lani stubbornly refuted. "A knight and Sorceress bond fades-"

"Stop pretending that you can understand this," Just as quickly as the heat came on, Rinoa could suddenly feel the area around her drop in temperature. Emotions that were like a tidal wave swarming her, now receded, leaving a cold and barren wasteland of surrender.

"You have no idea what its like to feel her presence again. To have it right here next to me day in and day out. It's been so long that I've forgotten what it was like. "

"You will over come this. We can handle it together, " Lani challenged. "The physical attachment of the bond won't last forever"

Leonhart let out an exhausted sigh, "That's not what I was referring too. That's not what I've missed for the past six years."

Rinoa closed her eyes, listening to his confession. She knew how hard it must have been to hear Leonhart speak of anything personal, let alone something he couldn't control. His pride was always being in control.

"I can't say the bond isn't a piece of it. It an addiction that's hard to break, but it's not what makes me weak and pathetic." Leonhart confirmed with distained, "I hate this. What I should be doing is clear. It's right in front of me, but all I want to do is walk away…

Lani had moved in front of him, deflecting the last bit of the conversation away from Rinoa. Suddenly a frustrated Leonhart grew louder as his anger grew again, "I've done what they've asked from me for the last six years. I've made my self a lesser man for them without asking any questions. But to ask me if I'm under control? Are they kidding? I am the most out of control I have ever been in my life!"

There was a tense pause Rinoa had to silence her own breaths. She didn't want to get caught in this compromising position.

"This is ridiculous." Lani responded bitterly and after a few seconds added, "I'm watching as this ghost brings twenty years of grief back into your life. "

Rinoa was certain Leonhart only stayed silent in response, which only made Lani's ire grow.

"And you… you're unbelievable. I've been standing right here next to you helping you reclaim pieces of your life, but next to her I might as well be invisible. How many more times are you going to force me watch you crash and burn over her, just to have to piece you back together?"

Silenced stepped in again making Rinoa uncomfortable.

"I told you I was damaged. I've never hidden that." Leonhart sighed with reserve.

Rinoa frowned as the meaning of that sentence seemed to have a deeper context for Lani, as she fumbled for her next words.

"But you can't. Squall…. Squall look at me damn it!" She hissed. "You know if you open that gateway again she will make sure you never walk away as a free man. Think about what… what I'd have to do then… "

Rinoa slowly leaned away from the door as she began to ask herself the same question. What would she have to do then? Rinoa's eyes leapt up on to the door untrustingly as words from the enemy replayed in her head.

"That's the only thing I'm certain of in this." Leonhart mumbled, "I'm actually thankful for that if you can believe it. I know I can trust your loyalty to SeeD above me. I've counted on that since the day I first saw you. I know you'll do what you've been trained to do."

The blood in Rinoa's veins grew cold.

"So that's it?" Lani's voice dropped in tone. "I just sit idly by as you tear yourself down?"

"This is why I fought against your feelings for so many years, Lani." Leonhart responded coldly. "From the start you knew that this wasn't something I was likely to walk away from. I've tried to tell you so many damn times that she's trying to take everything away from me. Everything…"

"You're also allowing her." Lani boldly cut him off.

Rinoa could hear Leonhart's footing shift uncomfortably, "You know, even if I was slightly good to you, I probably wouldn't challenge your feelings. But there are better things to throw your life away on than me."

An awkward stillness filled the room before a bitter Lani spoke with disdain dripping in her voice, "She's not real, Squall. In the very near future you will wake up and this… walking memory will be gone. She will disappear."

Rinoa stiffened uncomfortably hearing herself mentioned like that.

"You don't think I know that?" Leonhart genuinely seemed taken back by her questioning.

"Do you?" Lani attacked quickly. "The way you stare at her…it makes me think you don't. I've always known that I would never even take second or third in your life. I've accepted that because SeeD would always come first for me, but one day this ghost will disappear, the sorceress will be gone, and where will you stand within SeeD?"

"If I'm still alive…?"Leonhart seemed to question.

Rinoa wasn't the only one whose stomach twisted at hearing Lani's response. Suddenly she shifted away form the door, causing her voice to drift and a piece of metal to clank against something, obscuring a painful breath from Leonhart.

"You have to be alive at the end of this, Squall. You can't…you've got the only reason to stay alive right in front of you."

Rinoa pulled away from the door with her stomach turning in a nauseating way. Nothing seems to be what it had once appeared to be. How far did this go? Damn it all, she wanted to burst in there and start asking questions and threaten magical harm if she didn't get the answers she desired. But the truth was, they would most likely rather die then answer her.

In a daze, Rinoa found herself walking aimlessly down random corridors until arriving at her own cabin. Standing emotionless outside it, she couldn't even imagine entering, let alone find any semblance of peaceful sleep. Now her mind was occupied by that man's words. Could it be true that Lani was holding him hostage somehow? Was it SeeD? What exactly did that mean and did it really mean anything at all?

There was only one person who might be able to answer her. Truthfully he was the last person she wanted to speak to after seeing the amount of pain she had unknowingly inflicted upon him. She hadn't even had the chance to think of how she could apologize or make up for it.

Closing her eyes tightly in contemplation, she knew there was no other alternative. Turning away from her darkened room, she set her course towards what only could be an uncomfortable encounter.

ooo000ooo

Rinoa threw Seifer's door open to see the blonde knight. He was hunched over a beaten down table. He looked up at her intrusion, clearly unimpressed by her bravado.

"Learn nothin' from last time?" Seifer slurred, before slamming a shot of liquor back.

Rinoa was about to respond with a snarky barb when her eyes fell downward to observe that she had accidently crashed a pity party for one. Strewn all around the room were empty cans of beer. Those must have been earlier, because now tightly secured in Seifer's right hand was a nearly empty bottle of scotch.

"What are you doing?" Rinoa was concerned by the unnatural state. She never could recall a time seeing Seifer so disheveled. His ego never allowed him to look impaired. That was weakness other humans possessed, and one he was immune too.

"Isn't that obvious even to you, princess?" He attempted to pour himself another shot. "What else should I be doing? I'm drinking…"

"I figured you would be asleep or something," Rinoa answered, appalled as most of the liquid Seifer was pouring ended up falling over the side of the shot glass and on to the table.

"Psh!" He mocked drunkenly not noticing the mess he was making. "What's this thing you call sleep?"

Unable to take anymore, Rinoa stepped forward, snatching the bottle from his grasp. She took the seat next to him. "The thing that is going to happen to you when you finish that bottle. Whether you want it to or not."

"Oh…is that what that is," He said, offering a mostly clean shot glass to her. She accepted begrudgingly. "Hm, then there's good and bad things about this 'sleep'."

Rinoa watched him intently as he lifted the over filled shot glass and whipped it back.

"The good point?" She asked after a second.

Seifer lifted one finger in faux enlightenment, "It prevents me from drinking to death."

Rinoa winced, pouring liquor into each glass, "The bad?"

"Limits my alcohol consumption," Seifer stated as a matter of fact. His emerald rich eyes gazed at her for a moment before he resumed his bender with the new shot she had poured him.

Rinoa only raised an eyebrow before joining in on the shot. Hyne knew she might need a few more shots of liquid courage if she were going to survive this encounter.

Letting out a satisfying grunt, Seifer nodded in Rinoa's direction. "So tell me why the hell you are ruining my night For? Thought you've done enough damage but guess that was optimistic thinking."

Ignoring him, Rinoa cut right to the point, "Lani. Who is she to Leonhart?"

Seifer groaned in pain as he shook his head in disbelief, "Do we really got to do this again? Don't you understand the concept of a fuck buddy?"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Rinoa slammed her shot glass down onto the table. "I meant her mission with him. Officially, what is she to him? "

Seifer paused with more interest this time, giving her single glance before pouring himself another drink, "You mean, is what that guy said legit?"

Rinoa thought she wanted the straight up answer, but her body suddenly went numb. The idea that this could get a lot more complicated scared her, because the truth was that the man, Collin, wasn't too far off when hinting at how easily her confidence was shaken. Exactly how much more could she endure seemed to be an invisible line; one she was frightened she was about to cross.

"I don't know what to think anymore." She admitted slowly, "What's real? Who is being real? It all becoming less clear the further in I go."

Seifer shrugged holding his glass to his lips, "As it usually is, the truth is somewhere in the middle."

Rinoa let out a sigh of frustration, "Great. I'm getting philosophy from a drunkard. Care to shed more light on the situation, or are you too plastered to actually be helpful?"

"At lest now your asking more interesting questions." Seifer ignored her while taking another shot. "That Collin prick wasn't too far off with his bait. Leonhart's got an agreement in place with SeeD and we all know nuthin's ever free in the SeeD world."

"True. So what did it cost him?" Rinoa pressured as Seifer started to spin the bottle precariously on the table.

"No more involvement with you in any way, shape, or form," Seifer stated obviously. "No neutrality from him, and a guarantee that he would not return to you even if it was on a personal level."

Rinoa took a big breath in running her hands through her damp hair as she let that sink in. That wasn't exactly a price tag SeeD normally dealt in so it begged the question, "Why?"

"Duh, " Seifer glared at her. "A knight and sorceress bond is a symbiotic relationship. Sort of feeds off each other, thus 'strengthening the party' kind of bullshit."

"So I was stronger with him." Rinoa gaze lowered finally seeing the bigger picture, "It was a tactical choice from SeeD. "

"Ding Ding! We have a winner! But sad to say the prize is as shitty as this scotch. " He bolstered a smile, "It was a win-win for Garden in every way. The magical boost the two of you created together was crippling. Not to mention a resolution to the PR nightmare having one of their most celebrated heroes entwined with the newest threat was having on them. "

Rinoa thought for a moment, "So he promised a break in the bond for protection from…?"

Seifer raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to say more.

"From me?" Rinoa attempted to clarify, "Because of whatever he did to me?"

There was a half nod from seifer, "You've seen how powerful your army is without the sorceress connection. Probably wouldn't survive long on his own if you were serious about taking him out."

Rinoa studied Seifer as he attempted to pour himself and Rinoa another drink. For some reason, it still was not completely adding up in her mind. There was a gaping black hole where all the pieces of the puzzles would fit. After all, Leonhart running from a fight, even if from her, seemed out of character. Of course she needed to know what he did that would make him react that way, but she knew that even the knight in front of her, as drunk as he was, would remain silent if asked.

Rinoa tried to come at it another way, "So they drew the line in the sand. Stay away from me or-"

"Be thy friend or enemy." Seifer interrupted. "They were not willing to waste resources on someone who had a history of choosing a woman over SeeD."

Rinoa rolled her eyes, "So they hired Lani to secure him. That's kind of sadistic."

"Wrong." Seifer said taking his shot. "Of course they wanted insurance. He was forced into this position. Leader of this Hyne forsaken toy boat here…"

Rinoa shook her head and frowned. "Then how did Lani come into this?"

"He found her." Seifer answered readily as he slammed his glass down.

That was an unexpected response, making Rinoa reach for the shot waiting for her.

Seifer continued with a harder edge in his voice from seeing her squirm, "Trained her for protection and insurance. Personally speaking, it seems like a genius way to get Garden to pay for a traveling fuck buddy."

Ignoring the last bit, Rinoa poured herself another glass, "That means he didn't trust himself. To go that far must have been doubt in his mind about leaving me."

Seifer's jaw tightened and he made a sour face, "Surprising, I know, but I really haven't given it much thought."

"You mentioned that man, Collin, earlier by name-"

"Did I?" Seifer said half jokingly as his attention seemed to have fallen on to the empty glass on the table.

"Who is he…to me, I mean? What significance does he have to my future self?"

Looking up to give her a dense look, Seifer shook his head, "Do I have to explain the fuck buddy thing again?"

Rinoa put her hands up in surrender as she felt her stomach turn. She had feared the worst, but the confirmation was a bit harder to swallow.

"Don't puke in my room," Seifer said with disgust. "Though I have to say that your taste in men after me has certainly gone down hill. Must suck to know that in the end I was the best catch you would ever get."

Rinoa scowled at him, "Is that all he is to me?"

Seifer seemed to grow irritated with where the conversation was heading. "He's fake ass loser with a knight complex looking to take a vacant position. Power, Rinoa. That guy has a penchant for blood, if the advancement in your territory has proven anything."

Rinoa could instantly see that the turn in conversation had caused Seifer to bristle uncomfortably. Her next question was only going to make it worse, but there was no one else around her who would have the answers she needed.

"It's a bit uncomfortable for me to ask, but is the sorceress and knight bonds always romantic?"

As expected, Seifer repelled physically away from her as he leaned back in his chair uncomfortably. His face twisted as he raised a new shot to his lips and answered her coldly. "How the hell would I know?"

Rinoa grimaced; annoyed that he was forcing her to go deeper into this uncomfortable territory.

"Don't make this harder to ask, Seifer. I already hate that I have to come to you with this but in my reality, you're the only one proven to be on my side right now."

"Poor you…" Seifer mocked with poorly feigned sympathy.

"I'm asking about you and Ultimecia! We're you two…like that?"

Seifer sprayed the entire shot he was taking at her and began to cough.

"The fu-?" He sputtered coughing before scrunching his face in aversion. "Don't ask me things like that. Especially when you don't understand what you're asking."

"Oh, I do." Rinoa said just as awkwardly. "I get how this is none of my business-"

"Then why the hell are you still talking?"

Rinoa looked down intensely at the bottom of her shot glass, feeling the full weight of her anxiety settle on her shoulders. She hadn't realized how sensitive the subject was to him. This much emotion was only cementing the fear that perhaps maybe there was more than feelings pushing her towards Leonhart. It was the worst sentiment to have come over her, as she knew she had no choice then but to thrust further into this crevice she had dug for herself.

"Because I need to know," Rinoa whispered quietly. "Either way, I need to know that the problems between Squall and I are not because of some twisted bond that I inherited with these powers."

Seifer stared straight through her as he coldly retreated back into his own head.

Not giving up, Rinoa forged on, "I just need to know, Seifer. Am I delusional for thinking that we really are together on our own accord? Is any of this worth fighting for in the end or am I only guaranteeing their misery?"

The ex-knight shook his head after a few moments before his gaze lowered to the empty shot glass, "You're too cruel sometimes, Rinoa."

Giving him a perplexed look, he continued on with his voice rough from the alcohol, "Whatever you think the bond is… is just wrong. You want to know if you're fated to have your pathetic romance? Hell no! You're just dumb enough to go with such a prissy boy. "

"So you weren't …" Rinoa asked not sure how far to push this, "Interested in Ultimecia in any way?"

Flustered, the ex-knight seemed all too embarrassed suddenly. "Get off that idea, already. You're making me sick."

Of course, she just couldn't easily drop it as much as he wanted her to. "It's just hard to buy that when you said this was your 'romantic dream'. You think I'd just buy it was for the power?"

Cocking his head slightly, Seifer looked up with his blood shot eyes before shaking his head, "You are assuming my romantic dream was towards a Sorceress."

"Oh, right. Cause it wasn't…"Rinoa said in disbelief.

"No, Rinoa." He sneered at her reaction. "I wasn't in love with her. Yeah, I would've given my life to protect her…"

Seifer suddenly drifted off in his thought, losing the harshness in his face for a moment. "I cared for her in a way that I can't explain, but that wasn't out of some sick and twisted love. It was someone I owed a debt too. It's where I was meant to be from the beginning. My destiny that I wanted to have realized."

Seifer stopped himself short suddenly as a thought ran rampant through his train of thought, making him turn cold as ice. Looking up to catch her scrutiny, he once more shook his head in disbelief. "But as far as feelings go, it was nothing more than that."

"It just seems to me that if you go that far for someone," Rinoa picked her words carefully, "it would have to be a little more persuasive than that. To end the world just because she wanted it?"

Irritation grew on his darkened face as he mumbled. "You just don't get it. You never understood…"

"Then explain it in a way I can understand it, Seifer." She could tell she was finally getting under his skin. "Because right now it seems like you're in denial."

A sad smile tugged at the corners of Seifer's lips as an exhausted laugh escaped from his chest. Green eyes glanced up menacingly at her "Fine, you really want to know? Would knowing an inconsequential fact make you shut up?"

Rinoa held the gaze confidently, not allowing the giant to intimidate her into a retreat.

"It was all for you." He said each word slowly, and thank Hyne that he had, as Rinoa had a hard time following the words coming at her. "But you were always too stupid to see it. So does that answer all of your questions, Rinoa? You finally done with this stupid train of thought?"

Rinoa stopped watching him as she had to rewind what she just heard and mentally play it back.

"For me?" She tested with a deep amount of skepticism. Suddenly horror and laughter rose from her as she looked away, which only darkened the mood of the ex-knight.

"See! Even now you're too dense to see the obvious! I wanted to be her knight for you!" Seifer detonated with charge of fury unlike she had ever seen from him before.

She waited for a moment for the punch line, but as his serious nature continued she could feel herself get unbelievably unreceptive.

"Why would you say something like that?" Rinoa had to ask. "What is that suppose to mean? 'Be her knight for me.' That had nothing to do with me."

Scoffing at her misstep, Seifer bolted from his chair causing it to hit the ground. Rinoa jumped in her seat as he began to pace like a caged animal, "Just because this isn't the shit you wanted to hear doesn't make it untrue!"

Watched him cautiously as he paced angrily, slamming his fist into the ship's hull. One of the only things she appreciated about Seifer was the fact that he was usually overly passionate to what he believed to be right. Rinoa closed her eyes, trying to remember that she was the one who asked. She had to hear him out.

"I'm sorry ok?" She quietly declared her defeat. "Its hard not to get defensive but I'll try."

The sulking knight laughed for a second as his dirty blonde hair shook back and forth in amusement, "Rinoa…my romantic dream was you."

A cold grasp grabbed her heart from her chest as the ex-knight turned his back to her. She reckoned he was trying to save face.

"The plan was always to be the hero," Seifer spoke from gritted teeth. "I wanted to be the knight that freed that stupid town of yours. I would become SeeD, get on that pathetic team Cid would assign to you and make your dream come true."

Rinoa couldn't even breathe despite her aching lungs willing her to do so. "But you didn't make SeeD."

"Thanks for the reminder." He broke from his anger to laugh heartbreakingly. "And the pitiful group Cid had sent failed you. So, I did what any rational person would do and broke out of detention to come save you. I would get to Deling and force him one way or another."

"The TV station…" Rinoa painfully recalled him seizing the president for ransom and watching helplessly as she thought he was executed. "Ultimecia?"

"…Was my chance to have ultimate power. With her I would've been unstoppable. I could have been the knight I was destined to be and take the world. I wanted to be your hero." Seifer turned around, leaning his back against the wall. Shadows did well to hide any trace of emotion on his face. "But then on the parade float you were with him…him of all people. "

Rinoa looked down, suddenly uncomfortably hot in the small space.

"You wouldn't even listen to me on the float. You already had us in the corner. Good versus Evil."

"She was killing innocent people!"

Seifer scoffed, "Where I'm from, that is the dirty price of war. Even your precious knight believes that."

That was undeniably true. Rinoa could feel her cheeks starting to flush out of embarrassment.

"Maybe you idiots couldn't see what was going on between you two, but it was written all over your face when that bastard got the shard to the chest. I realized I wasn't part of your dream. Like everyone else, I was always cast aside. Labeled as the problem. Ultemcia was the first to say I was something more then that."

"She was just using you," Rinoa whispered hoarsely.

"So? And you weren't?" Seifer's question caused Rinoa to pause in shame. "The truth is: for once someone wanted me and only me. By then I really didn't give a fuck if the world burned."

"Rinoa sat in silence, watching as the fallen knight slipped into his own dismal reverie, "Life is sick and twisted Rinoa. Nothing is in a neat box with a pretty red bow like the books you read as a child. Your prince charming is a fucking nutcase and whether that is because he purposely chose to love a sorceress or was lured into it by the power is a moot point. Because given the choice, he'd pick that path again on his own free will."

Rinoa couldn't hide the uncertainty and skepticism in her voice. "And how would you know that?"

He looked at her sideways, his eyes framed by heavy lashes. He leaned against the wall, both from impairment and heavy emotions.

"Because I would." His voice lacked the usual robust edge of confidence but instead, held onto a more solid and truthful tone. "From meeting you that crazy summer, and through the hell I've gone through, I wouldn't change a damn moment of it. Even if fate gave me an option I'd tell it to go find some other chump to mess with."

"I really don't understand why. " Rinoa concluded honestly.

"You don't… yet." Seifer said blowing her off casually, "But someday you will. But unless my pathetic sob story has gotten you feeling guilty enough for pity sex, you should get hell out of my room. You've pissed on my parade enough for one day."

The suggestion made Rinoa involuntarily rise to her feet, "Seifer…"

"Just don't talk Rinoa." Seifer grimaced, knowing she was attempting to address the new uncomfortable issue between them. "There is no point in talking about something that won't change. Think I've proven that tonight."

Rendered speechless, Rinoa watch Seifer lazily collapse on the bed that seemed too small underneath him. She should have just left when he asked her to do but no matter how hard she tried, her feet couldn't cross the door's threshold. His truth rocked hers. Now, looking back, everything seemed different and not as black or white as it once had. Pausing for one moment, Rinoa watched the Knight whose eyes were already closed serenely.

"For whatever it means to you Seifer, I'm sorry for failing you back then. I'm sorry I couldn't be the one who saved you." Rinoa whispered.

Waiting there silently, she watched the ex-knight's chest slowly rise and fall, knowing full well that if he had heard her, that was going to be his only reply.

Drifting in and out of exhausted thoughts, Rinoa took her time in walking back to her room. Trying to digest what she had just discussed with Seifer, Rinoa hardly realized that her door had been opened. Soft light poured out into the darkness as she cautiously approached.

Like suddenly awaking from midsleep, her mind raced to catch up with the realization that this wasn't how she left her room. Holding her breath, she used her right hand to push open the door flooding the hallway with light.

The few belongings she had come to possess were thrown to the ground carelessly. A single figure stood with his back to her. A candle flickered on the table where piles of papers and books laid in disarray before Leonhart. In his hand Rinoa could make out a single loose picture causing her heart to become still.

Alerted by her sudden presence, Leonhart looked up with a blank stare, quite similar to her own.

Trapped in a deadlock, neither one of them seemed eager to be the first to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen upon them.

They stood at a stalemate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oo000oo
> 
> Layla's Corner
> 
> ooo000ooo
> 
> Hopefully there are a few people still reading out there.
> 
> Please read and Review!


	15. Chapter 15: Painful Truths

Beta: Bebedora

ooo000ooo

Chapter 15: Painful Truths

ooo000ooo

Nothing could come closer to standing in front of a firing squad then where Rinoa stood right now. Two frigid blue eyes held hers intensely, and for an instant, all she was to him was a criminal under siege. No familiarity broke through the gaze that rendered her a hostage. Unable to negotiate this, he would have to be the one to set the pace of how this uncomfortable interaction would unfold.

Preparing for the worst, Rinoa braced herself against the doorframe for the conflict, but unexpectedly, his gaze broke away first. The anger she had expected was unfounded, and instead, his attention fell back to the single grainy photograph in his hand.

His composure began to falter when the attempt to keep a calm façade was too taxing in his inebriated state. In its place, a more complex emotion dug deep into him.

He struggled to find his voice as he fought to break the silence that plagued them both.

"Once, back when we lived in Timber, you showed up at my office wanting to take a drive."

Rinoa narrowed her eyes untrustingly. She was anticipating many things, a knockout fight or perhaps him stonewalling her, but this was heading in unusual territory that she couldn't prepare for. He always knew how to unnerve her.

The lines in her knight's face deepened from exhausted emotion, "I was knee-deep in political bullshit, like always, but that day in particular was worse then others. I had Galbadia Garden on hold, and just around the corner, the ambassador for Esthar was demanding to see me. But there in the middle of it, you showed up, with the most ridiculous request."

He shook his head in dismay as he shifted the photograph in the low light, "It was like you couldn't see any of the chaos around you. You expected me to drop everything. Like nothing else mattered."

He let the picture fall from his fingers, fluttering down on to the table.

"I left, just like that. It didn't even faze me that we didn't have a car." His icy blue eyes took her in abruptly; reminding her how simple it was to be caught off guard by their intensity.

"We rented a rusted-out blue convertible from a mechanic down the street. I wasn't sure if the damn thing would even make it five miles, but that didn't discourage you from climbing into the front seat."

He stopped for a moment as if an avalanche of memories had suddenly buried him. Struggling to catch his uneven breath, he retrained his focus back to the photo on the table. It was in her childish nature to be offended by that. It was hard to understand why looking at a photograph was easier then looking directly at her.

Tensely, his fingers touched the table for support, "I drove west from Timber until we hit the Golden Coast. I only remember that it was fall by the way the wind was biting at us. The radio didn't work so there was nothing but the roaring wind to listen to. From there we wound our way in and out of the tiny peninsulas. "

His mouth opened to continue but the words came up short. Rinoa shifted away from the doorframe uncomfortable in that moment as Leonhart drew in a breath signifying his own frustrations.

"You didn't say a word the whole time, and I didn't ask why. I drove that damn thing all day without understanding what I was doing. When I did take a moment to look over at you, I just remember being mesmerised."

Letting the room fall into silence once more, he sought the courage to look up at her once more; he left the table to take a step closer.

"For once you were the one who was a million miles away." His voice was barely a whisper as he quickly added, "Your hair was being ravaged by the wind, you had your legs up so your feet could rest on the dash. Your fingers surfing the rushing wind in complete silence. I knew then there was no way I could live without you. I couldn't express it then. Everything I thought then was still too trapped inside my head."

He came to a sudden stop when he was less then a foot away from her. His close proximity to her was nearly suffocating. Cursing herself silently, she tried to resist the urge to pull away. However the futile attempt ended when she found herself flattening herself against the doorframe.

The internal struggle she faced was apparent to him, but he did not yield away. "I also realized then, we were running away from something. I just didn't know from what yet, but I could… feel it. Life was about to change and whatever it was, that car wasn't going to outrun it. That idea terrified me."

A sinking feeling claimed Rinoa as he defied her, closing the gap between.

"Eventually, we ran out of vapors to cruise," His voice softened as distance shortened. "We were at the southern-most tip, too far out for cellular reception. So we pushed the car off to the side of the road, where there was nothing but the sound of the sea crashing beneath us, and a large darkening sky."

Rinoa struggled to keep her breaths even as fear swept in when the silence grew between them. His eyes lingered on her as if he fully knew well the effects his proximity was having on her.

His words slipped out slow and cautiously." "I wrapped my arms around you and I held you as tight as I could. It was as if everything would be okay if I could just hold on. Whatever we were trying to outrun wouldn't be able to reach us."

Pausing, something in his stance shifted making Rinoa look back up to him. He seemed to look straight through her as he confessed, "That's when I asked you to marry me."

The least important thing in that moment was to mask her disbelief. If she had gasped or uttered something, she wouldn't have known, because all she could focus on was the somber expression he held on to while completely lost in reverie.

"I don't even remember how I asked," he admitted ashamed. "That's how bad it was, but if life as I knew it was going to change, I wanted to make sure I was by your side. I really thought that would save us. That doing that, I would be able to save you. I would be enough."

His composure broke down for a second as he faltered, his voice rattled with pain. "I won't forget for as long as I live what you asked then. You turned and said, 'Do you think fate would allow us to be happy?' It was like you knew what was about to happen. Like you knew how our story would come undone-."

"Why are you telling me this?"Rinoa had to make him stop now. It was starting to hurt too much. Tremors were causing her hands to be unsteady. She didn't even know when that had started but she hated how it showed how weak she really was in front of him.

"Because you have to be wondering if you're on the right side."

She was immobilized by his clear perception.

"I've feared that question for so long, Rinoa." His voice was thick from warring emotions continued, "From the moment I saw you with Seifer on our ship, I knew that at some point you would have to question it. Gods know I have so many times."

Unable to mask the fear she to confront him before the urge to run away was too great. "So am I?"

She could feel his watchful eyes take her in before finding an answer he was satisfied with, "The truth is I don't know if I am."

She would have to be forgiven for thinking the world around her had stopped. The time that it took her to grasp his admission felt like an eternity passing by. Her body went cold as a thousand questions regarding came rushing forward

"Look at how our story has ended." The deteriorating Knight's voice lowered. " I'm too weak to do what is right. Not only am I a failure who couldn't prevent this but also a part of me is essentially perpetuating it. I want to cease the damage we are causing, but the other half of what I am wants to stand by you no matter what. What kind of hero am I that I don't know what side I should fight for? That's not a hero. In fact, it's the furthest thing from it."

"You're being to hard on yourself. You always knew what was right, Leonhart. You've saved the world before-" Rinoa attempted before seeing his face twist away. That idea seemed to impact him greatly making her words evaporate.

"Saved the world." He swallowed thickly. "Who did I save in the end? From where I stand, I just hurt the ones I loved. Because I couldn't protect you, you became a sorceress. I let you absorb all those powers, and those powers are what will ultimately take you away from me. I 've devastated my friend's lives, tore their happiness apart without a single thought all because my gut told me to. Is that the hero one should trust?"

"Not all of those things were your choice, Squall. It was my choice to absorb the powers. I went in knowing there was no guaranteed outcome, but I did it anyway. I did it to save the world because that was the right thing to do."

There was a pause there that told her more then words could. He truly doubted that.

Amazed by the look of doubt she let out a sigh of disbelief needing to look away in order to keep her composure calm. Starting a fight here would do her no favors.

"You want a world where you can be safe from people like me. Live without fear that SeeD will take everything away from you. A part of me wants that for you. I too want to see this unfair world burn. I want to keep that promise I made to you- that no matter what, I would be there. Disappear if that is the only means to do so... Except, I can't. That promise I made to you was a lie. Because now no matter how much I want to I can't be that man. You made me selfish."

Leonhart's attention on her deepened, "When you came into my life, I was no longer a number. I wasn't a killing machine, a small insignificant piece—a tool—in fate's bigger plan." His hand touched the side of her face, triggering every one of her senses to sharpen. "You tore your way into my life, and suddenly I became important. The missions didn't matter anymore. The objective wasn't what I fought for. I was fighting for myself. For once I wanted to fight for my own happiness. I knew what it was like to have something to keep going for. When I breathed I had a purpose and somewhere to call home. I had love and a family."

Squall implored her to understand, "What you have learned here, Rin, is a small insignificant fraction of our life.. You have no concept of what we are and how happy we were, but I do. I didn't know how to give that up. To save you would mean I'd have to sacrifice it all. I don't know how I can do that. You need me. The world needs me. And I need myself. I'm being pulled in too many directions."

Finding it too difficult to continue, Squall looked down as his hand fell to rest on her shoulder. "I won't win. Either way, I lose. I'm too scared to go back to where I had been before you. I will become the hero that murders his own wife. Perhaps the only justice to you in the end."

"Squall…" Rinoa whispered not realizing until then that tears had claimed her cheeks. Terrified she was about to lose him she reached out taking hold of his shirt. She needed to stop this. Her head was killing her and still she understood nothing. She wanted to speak out but instead her trembling lips faltered into silence.

Ignoring her completely he continued, utterly broken. "What kind of hero does this to his wife because he can't face a world where he loses everything?"

She couldn't help but be troubled by his choice of word, "I know you didn't go through with it."

Being caught off guard he looked up just as surprised as she was for saying it.

"What?" He demanded an explanation.

Stumbling, she had trouble making sense of what she wished to confess too. "I know I wasn't legally your wife. I- I found the unfiled certificate back in Esthar. I…" She trailed off, as the guilt seemed to intensify as every second passed. "I just want you to know that I know and I don't blame you."

He straightened up, feeling that he owed her an explanation.

Painfully, he let out an exhausted breath, "I'm not the one who didn't file, Rinoa."

That was not the response she had been preparing for, so the words took a moment to fully process. "What?"

"I never walked away from our marriage. You have to know that." Leonhart held his convictions firm. "I would have never done that."

"But the papers-," She argued until it dawned on her in one crushing blow. "I didn't file the papers."

The pain that followed was so white hot she almost wasn't sure her legs could support her. Out of concern for her state, Leonhart took a hold of her arm.

"Why?" She asked surprised by how angry her words came out and how she tried to pull away from his tightening grasp. "How could I do that? What was my reasoning?!"

He shook his head before replying. "I've been asking that for years."

"You didn't know?"

The doubt was heavy in her sharp question making his grip on her loosen.

He confessed quietly. "On some level I had to. It was just easier to pretend things were alright, or at least they would be eventually. "

As strong as she wanted to be, a part of her just could not accept this. The anger and disappointment in herself was the driving force behind the tears now.

"Winhill seemed like the best choice at the time." Leonhart continued on cautiously. "Any inquiring reporters would have been met with some resistance from the townspeople. I thought it would buy us sometime before anyone found out. Then time started to go by…. I should have known. I guess I did know, but to acknowledge it would have meant I would have had to acknowledge the end of us. I wasn't ready."

"How do you not hate me?" She whispered feeling like all of her anger disappeared into sadness at once. She felt like she was nothing but a shell now, unable to comprehend anything anymore. "How can you love me through all of this? After all I've done that to you?"

Observing her attentively for a second, his hand reached to clear an errant tear from her cheek. His touch alone made her body seize up. Unfazed by it, he repeated the same action on the other side.

Rinoa couldn't help but look at him differently now. Seeing him so openly exposed and broken. She thought she had seen him at his worst in the beginning of their relationship, but that was nothing compared to the destruction she will have on him. On the verge of being torn apart, he stood in front of her with all the influences swirling through him to dull whatever pain was coursing through him. Gods, she never wanted to destroy the person she loved in this way.

"Do you think you did it to hurt me?" he asked her truthfully.

She frowned, unable to follow.

"I was bitter for a long time, but I understand it now. You gave me the memory—the perception of a family, but gave me the freedom to move on when it was time. But you knew. You knew all along."

Rinoa was once again caught speechless. The ship's silence filled in where words could not. The two of them held in a strange place where neither one knew how to escape. A lifetime ago she thought she knew everything. She thought she knew love but she hadn't learned anything yet. She hadn't had the chance to see him at his worst or his best. She still hadn't had a chance to see him whole either. There was still so much life she needed to live yet, and now she was desperate for it.

"Isn't there another way we can fight for us, Leonhart?"

In an instant, she saw him starting to pull away, but she wouldn't let him. Before thinking it through, her hands tightened their grip on his shirt, pulling him in. With that kind of action he didn't resist any further, and instead, took her hands in his.

The toughened hands caressed her smooth skin, sending a familiar shock wave that left her weak. The eerie familiarity allowed distant memories to flood back. The way those hands felt on her, the strength they provided, and how they felt gliding over fragile skin. Maybe a part of her really wondered if she would feel it again by the way she reacted. She didn't want him to disappear. She couldn't let herself forget any of this.

Losing her strength she felt herself fall apart openly. "There has to be a way we can be happy…"

Releasing her, he pulled her into his chest knocking the air from her completely. Leaning her head into the crook of his neck, her body crumpled into his entirely. Leonhart embraced her, allowing her to use him for support. Her nostrils burned with the sweet smell of the ocean air mixing with the lingering smell of his unmistakable gunblade oil. It all threatened to take her away. She closed her eyes slowly as foreign fingers leisurely tangled themselves in her damp hair. She could feel his lungs fill as he took in the scent of her freshly washed air. And like that they stood. His mind seemed to drift away with hers, lost both in time and in grief.

Lowering his head just enough for his lips to brush her ear, he whispered, "Do you think fate would allow us to be happy?"

Caught off guard, she raised her head in time for his lips to brush hers.

At first the gentle passing could have been forgiven as a platonic moment of tenderness between two former lovers. Releasing her, he pulled a way an inch before pausing.

So close to crossing the line, they both became paralyzed. It was as if one more unsettled movement would push them over the edge.

"Damn them all..." He cursed before seizing her lips with an urgency that pushed them both over the threshold. His hand landed on her cheek as the bond between them flung violently open.

Unable or unwilling to prevent it, all of Leonhart's thoughts and emotions flooded through her mind, creating a devastating storm of confusion within her.

An audible gasp escaped from her lips as her body struggled against being swept away. The pain, agony and disgust was hard to separate from the excitement, love, and sense of loss that followed, making the panic in Rinoa rise. She was losing herself in him. Her own emotions were overwhelmed, her own senses too filled with his to be thinking clearly.

Desperate to stay afloat, she wrapped her arms around his lower back as if she had done it a thousand times before. It felt perfect, just like from her memory.

His lips, however, were so different. Unlike the cautiousness tenderness of a teenager in love, they were now feverish and bold. Knowing precisely what she liked before she did, Rinoa had a difficult time in keeping in step as he grew bolder.

Crushing her against the wall with his weight. They only broke for brief second before rejoining like magnets. His hands ran through her thick hair as she willingly let his kiss deepen. The beating of his heart thrummed with an intensity she wasn't used to that it drowned out the world around them. Somewhere a voice within her had to be screamed at her to stop this before she got hurt, but she willingly ignored it for this dangerous path.

The only time his hands released her was to find their way to her hips, encouraging a sigh to escape her lips that was quickly silenced when his tongue joined hers. Rampant heat seared through her core as his own guttural gratitude rose from deep within his chest.

There was no way to tame the hunger she had for him now. She desperately wanted to believe that this was real and in attempt to anchor herself to him, her fingers found their way under his shirt. Muscular and toned flesh wasn't the only thing she discovered as her hands caressed his side. The uneven path her fingers took was unfamiliar terrain, drawing her attention away while his lips left her for the sensitive skin on her neck. Muddled by the confusion, her fingers explored on, trying to make sense of the deep groves they found. The further she went up the worse it became, and then like pulling a trigger it dawned on her what she was feeling. It spoke of horror.

She pushed away with just enough force to look down at the skin uncovered by his partially raised shirt. His reaction was immediate in trying to deny her view but she knocked his hand away to lift his shirt even higher.

Horror filled her as she couldn't find an end to the roughness. Deep jagged scars covered him, some healed better than others. But even healing couldn't mask the damage that had been done to his once magnificent torso. His body had literally been burned over and over again. Completely disfigured. And she was all too familiar with what had caused them.

Mag poison.

"I did this…"

She took his silence as confirmation, and reality once more reclaimed her. How could she have let herself sink that far into a dream that didn't exist? In just a single moment she let all her feelings over rule the harsh reality she needed to face. Unable to hide her fear she quickly withdrew her hands.

Rejected Leonhart pulled back turning away quickly.

"Not all of it was malicious."

"Just most of it." She knew from the bond that seemed to remain intact.

"Stop." He turned back to warn her.

"You can't prevent me anymore can you?" It dawned on her that a vital part that had been missing from her was suddenly filled and hadn't disappeared when they separated. "You can't stop me from accessing the bond now."

Anger. She could feel his anger. Holy hell, maybe that should concern her, but having this connection once more was like finding air after drowning. She was completely enlightened and too enthralled with this knowledge to notice how he started to retreat back.

"All this time you tried to keep me out of this, " She said unable to control the spiraling pain she felt. "Don't you understand how it was killing me inside not to have this? How alone and afraid I was?"

The Sheer panic sweeping through him was apparent leading Rinoa to take action quickly. Taking advantage of his compromised state, she moved forward to touch him but was met with a volatile reaction.

His hand smacked hers away leaving a sting that hurt her pride more then anything. His reaction equally matched hers. He moved as if he wanted to apologize but fell short in doing so. That was enough of a sign for her to realize whatever they had experienced now would just be a part of their dark past.

"I'm protecting what is important," He defended while cowardly not explaining anything else.

She struggled to reconcile how they ended back to square one, "So what is so important Squall?"

True to form the knight remained silent as she stalked closer to him.

"Is it SeeD? You?" She just wanted him to say the truth no matter how much it hurt, "The world?"

She could see a rare moment of anger flash in his eyes before he forced himself to rein it in.

Rinoa laughed bitterly, "I see the stone wall act is back, but how long will that work if we are connected?"

The muscles in his jaw tensed as the depths of his blue eyes pleaded with her, "I'm trying to protect my world."

"Even at the cost of me." She understood.

She could see him grapple with his internal struggle and ridiculously she considered that a temporary victory.

Rinoa looked at all the evidence she had gathered over the past few days, "You're planning on taking all this away from me."

"Yes." He stated as a matter of fact, "I don't want to fight you over this, but if I have too-"

She raised her hand in order to stop as her eyes settled on the leather bound book by Dr. Odine. She was certain-now more then ever- that it contained all the answers she needed and it would now be out of reach.

"Just leave." She whispered knowing she was sealing her fate, all because she wouldn't fight him. She couldn't.

She could not watch as he picked up the leather bound book but felt the breeze of him passing her.

"Wait!" She called out feeling the full weight of regret about her decision already.

They both turned at the same time on edge. Rinoa watched the grip on the leather bound book tighten. Biting back the anger she just needed to ask one more thing. She just had to know.

"Is your world really worth this?"

Rinoa took a step towards him before pausing by the errant thought that intruded her mind.

Yes…

His word or thought, as it maybe, rendered her inoperable. More then the word, it was the emotion that accompanied it that made her stand down. Love. The way it came across… it was different. Not a love like one would show to a lover… it was more instinctual then that.

It was so entrenched in those words that she found it hard to do anything but stand down to let her only hope walked out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo000ooo
> 
> Layla's Corner
> 
> ooo000ooo
> 
> I hope you all are stilling following this and aren't put off by the mystery that is remaining.
> 
> Read and Review or I'll kill of Squall! Hahaha jk! ... or am I?


	16. Chapter 16: Come Away To The Water

Beta: Bebedora

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Chapter 16: Come Away To The Water

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She could hear his voice echoing out from a distance.

She wanted to rise to answer him, but with eyelids so heavy, she could only lay dormant.

Her lungs were filled with the familiar fragrant sea air brought on by a trade wind breeze. It rushed at the grass around her, saturating the surrounding area with their song. Slowly, the voice of the ocean drifted in with it. Her name was whispered.

Rinoa…

What she was experiencing was only a mere imitation. This place couldn't hold a candle to the real thing, but despite knowing that, she wanted to keep lying in the factious world her subconscious had fashioned. She would believe in a lie if it meant that she could hear his voice call out her name.

Rinoa, open your eyes. Look at me.

The command was obeyed as the bright yellow sun against a translucent blue sky filled her vision. A shadow eclipsed it, relieving her of her blindness. Black military boots crushed the dirt underneath them, as he kneeled beside her.

Squall…

How long would it take for her not to become mesmerized by the seductive face in front of her? He was being torn apart by the ungovernable wind, but his face remained relaxed and focused on her.

The background noise from the ocean was now as thunderous as the wind. A storm had to be brewing, but no matter where she looked she could only see blue sky. Squall leaned heavily on one knee as his hair crossed over into his eyes with all abandonment.

She felt her fingers twitch nervously in reaction to him, and gradually, more of herself seemed to be pulled into this dream. Every second she spent tracing his face into her memory, the more grounded in this world she became.

His hand lowered to hers, and to her astonishment, she was able to take hold. Rough and bitterly cold, his hand tightened its grasp, pulling her into a sitting position where the wind claimed her as well. Her hair spilled over her shoulder as she turned to stare down the unseen assailant that swept through the pristine fields of Centra.

Casting her attention back towards her knight, she saw he remained in a crouching position. The intimidating SeeD attire was gone; in its place a more approachable look of black denim and a gray thermal cladded him to provide warmth. The Griever chain suspended from his neck caught the direct sunlight easily, releasing reflections of light to cascade around them.

The next gust of wind ravaged her unprotected skin, making her realize she was in nothing more than a white slip dress. Curiously, the wind encroaching on her was not nearly as ice cold as the hand holding hers.

How could that be possible?

Standing up, he urged her to follow with a pull so strong she was unable to challenge it.

She wanted to question him, but the longer she stood, the more fatigue seemed to prevent her from doing so.

Blue eyes hypnotized her into following—where to she could not tell. Every so often he would look back as if to lure her into picking up the pace. Faster and faster, he soon had her into a full run that released small flowers into the air behind them. Still, it was not enough to appease him, as he looked back each time even more frustrated with her sluggish pace. Every time he pulled at her arm, the fatigue was threatening to wash her away.

Her mind begged her to let go and follow the darkness under, but the fear of losing him forever was real. If she let go of his hand, she would disappear.

Gods, I don't want to disappear!

His eyes flickered back to her as if he heard her. Her eyes desperately tried to reach him as he turned away.

Tightening her grip on him, she vowed not to release. Internally she screamed at herself to hold on, to hold on tighter, to move faster, and to keep up with him no matter how much the darkness beckoned her.

They came to an edge where a small drop of boulders lead down to a soft white sand beach and stopped. He turned with eyes beseeching her.

Don't be scared…

That troubled her. Why would she be? He led her down the rocks carefully, never letting go of her hand. If she stumbled, his body would be there to protect her. Whenever she looked up, his eyes were on her to encourage her on.

Finally, they ended up on a beach that seemed somewhat familiar to her. A dream from long ago—the turquoise waters washing up on fine sand were now raging thanks to the hidden storm. Her former lover turned to her with a smile that seemed to hide a secret.

You need to be brave…

He took both of her hands in his and stepped back into the crashing waves.

She wavered as he drew her into the water where white caps crashed into them, nearly causing her to lose her footing.

Her heart was starting to race as thoughts and doubts started to bombard her.

Do you still trust me?

If she did, then why was she so scared? Her eyes flickered up as she steadied herself against the storming sea. Yet, he still wasn't satisfied as he took another step.

Now mid-waist deep in the sea, another wave submerged most of her body in the icy water. Shaking, she was shaking. Her body was too cold but still not as cold as the hands that held hers. Her hands now hurt, and she wanted nothing more than to let go.

Shaking her head, she pried her hands from his iron grip. In response, he pulled her body into his to cease the fighting. Unable to catch her breath, she looked for answers in eyes that reminded her of the sea they stood in, but true to their nature, they kept all his secrets.

His left hand stroked her cheek as they were assaulted by another wave. Too cold to think, her lips trembled making him frown. Slowly, as if asking permission, he leaned forward, their noses touching. His warm breath cascaded over her lips; while his other hand moved to cradle her face, bring her to him. The unguarded kiss was slow and tender, a violent contrast to the sea around them. Just as their kiss was to break apart, his words entered her mind.

Don't be afraid…

Her eyes opened, just as his strength overpowered her.

Forced backward, she scarcely had the chance to gasp before going under. Reflexively, she tried to use the bottom of the ocean to right herself, but his hands shifted to the base of her neck to hold her under.

Failing to fend him off, his legs were able to straddle her as she continued to thrash against him.

Gods, she couldn't find a way to break loose. The force of waves knocked her around, sending salt water burning through her nostrils. Her eyes opened for a second to try to see what she was up against. Through the swirl of bubbles and sand, she could see the shadow of his face above the surface.

The burning sensation of the mixture of salt and sand forced her eyes closed. She grabbed his wrists and dug her nails deep into his flesh to the point she was certain he was bleeding. Twisting her body each and every way she could, she couldn't find a way to stand or overpower him.

She started to panic.

Her lungs started to ache as the pounding of her heart reached her ears. She screamed through the bond and begged for mercy. She prayed to Hyne, hoping for intervention. But nothing struck sympathy in the hands that held her life.

She couldn't breathe. She was going to die. Those thoughts haunted her as she saw moments of her life flash before her eyes. One thought seemed to preoccupy her the most.

I don't want to be alone! I don't want to disappear forever!

All at once as her strength waned, leaving her grip on his hands to loosen. In her final attempt to live, she reached up, her fingertips just barely scraping the surface of the water. Slowly, they sunk beneath once more as her lungs lost to their basic instinct to breathe.

Two glugs of air released and rose to the surface before the sea flooded in and claimed her.

Rinoa….

Her body involuntary seized from the intrusion. She retched, trying to find the air she desperately searched for.

And then everything went still.

The hands that held her started to shake her violently, but her mind was being pulled away.

He shook her harder, trying to bring her back to life.

"RINOA!"

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Air clawed its way into her lungs as her back arched violently. Terrified, Rinoa's eyes flung open searching for context as she hyperventilated through staggered breaths. Bewilderment swept through her as her nails clawed into the tight grip holding her.

"Stop it!" The hands on her shook her once, and then even harder yet. "I said stop it, Heartilly! Damn it, look at me!"

Finally, she did as she commanded and looked up. What she saw was not what she expected to see. Before her was Seifer, with a distressed look of concern that matched her own. Tremors started to take control of her body as she struggled to process the fact that the hell she had just gone through wasn't in fact real.

Seifer sat on the edge, carefully observing her with bloodshot eyes. Gradually, deep heaving sobs found their way out of her chest. So deep and painful, she crumpled forward in a desperate move to fix the agony that would not alleviate.

Doing the only thing he could, Seifer looped his arms around her bring her to his chest. The vice around her tightened as he hissed in her ear to be silent.

"Stop. Stop it, already." His voice lowered so no one would hear in the darkness. "None of that was real."

Only a small amount of relief came from those words, as she wept openly into his shoulder. After all, even if the dream was not, the reality that she would someday face suddenly became all too real.

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Her senses were pulled from a deep sleep one by one. The first sense to stir was smell. The fresh sea wind was familiar, but the hint of scotch really brought it home, awakening the other senses. Touch suddenly became vital as she realized hands not belonging to her were taking liberties not assigned to them. The next three seemed to come alive all at once, making it difficult to discern which happened first. Was it the sound of someone knocking on her door? Was it her eyes opening in time to realize that emerald eyes were watching her? Or the taste of bile that rushed forward?

In the end, it was the sound of the door opening that pushed all other concerns aside. To her credit, Lani's appearance remained impassive upon seeing them holding each other. Gods knew that was likely a cover, but it gave Rinoa time to process the slow crash, instead of it being an immediate explosion.

Clearing her throat first, Lani continued to perform her assigned duties."We land in a half hour. You both better be dressed for the debriefing in ten."

Caught like a couple of naughty kids, neither Rinoa nor Seifer moved until the door slammed closed.

Leaping up from Seifer's arms, Rinoa tried to get a handle on this new complication before it became any worse. The first thing Rinoa realized, with great relief, was the fact that they both had their clothes on. She could only thank Hyne for a split second before the second realization dawned on her. She was incredibly hung over. Stomach turning, she let herself sit on the edge of the bed so her head could fall into her hands. She wished the room would stop spinning

"That's going to be awkward later." Seifer's gravelly voice finally spoke.

All she could do was pass an exasperated glance towards the former knight., as he struggled to sit up on his own. From the looks of it, he was still drunk and far worse off than she was.

Closing her eyes, she rubbed her forehead as she tried to focus on what lead them to this predicament in the first place. It only took a second for all the memories to come back in chilling detail.

Overhearing fractions of a confession, to a drinking contest with a former lover, then sexual misconduct with the other, and then a life or death dream that still made her shake in fear. Now she wished for these recollections to depart, and quickly.

"You ok?" Seifer leaned forward, concerned.

She didn't answer right away. Swallowing thickly, she suppressed all the wild thoughts roaming her head so she could sort out what issue took precedence first.

"I don't know what I am," She answered truthfully before turning to the ex-knight. "What happened to me last night?"

"You had a bad dream."

She didn't believe him. This was something else, and whatever it was rocked her to her core. "Was that all it was, Seifer? A dream?"

Giving a small shrug, she could see his face become ashen as he struggled to sober up.

"How did you know I was in trouble?" She pushed him.

Unable to tolerate the questioning, he just relented, "You called out."

His answer made no sense. "But…no one else came running?"

He passively looked at her, "I did say out loud."

"Then how?"

His eyes closed, before giving his answer. "Through the bond, Rinoa."

She wanted this confirmation ever since Seifer found her on the rooftop with Leonhart. There had been no reasonable explanation as to how he was able to locate her so quickly, but with the truth now exposed, the whole idea troubled her. The three of them were connected. It seemed impossible.

"Don't ask me how." He knew what she was thinking. "He couldn't keep this a secret for too much longer. The walls are breaking so there can't be much time left."

Time was running out for all of them.

"It wasn't a dream." Rinoa realized.

"Don't be stupid. Of course it was. "Seifer blasted her, but his assurance seemed to be thin. "It happens sometimes—in stressful or emotional moments. The fears or emotions can run through the bond while you sleep. It's a dream, but it feels like the real deal."

"Last night, I dreamt Squall killed me."

That registered on the ex-knight's face as he looked up her. Just saying those words made the bile in her sensitive stomach churn. "He held me under the water, and I swear to you, I thought I was dying."

Seifer's eyes fell away from hers as his hand covered his mouth.

"You stopped breathing," He admitted to her. "Your lips were blue. I've never seen anything like that."

"So I'm stressed about the future?" She sighed, knowing there was no way to fix it. Would she have these dreams all her life?

"Doubt it."

The hand covering his lips fell away as he turned his body towards her.

"His dreams," he stated simply. "His fear…"

"But how do you know?"

"Because, he told me about it before."

That thought hadn't entered her mind—his dreams and nightmares. Truthfully, she still felt the fear and anger towards him, but never in the dream did he act like he had any remorse. He did it deliberately, methodically, and he asked her to trust him all the while she was nothing more but a lamb following the butcher.

Seifer scanned the room. "What the hell happened in here, Heartilly?"

Dread filled Rinoa again. "Oh. That…"

That was a topic she did not want to get into right now, but the ex-knight proceeded to take inventory faster then she could distract him.

"Where's the book, Heartilly? " He growled at her with bloodshot eyes.

A flashback streamed through her mind of the heated "exchange" between Leonhart and herself.

"Wow, that was way too much information," Seifer muttered shaking his head.

Confused, she looked up, but the disgusted expression on his face told her all she needed to know. The bond allowed him to access her memories of last night. That meant she needed to put her emotions on lockdown—and quickly.

"Have to give you credit," Seifer stood up from the bed. "Didn't think you had that in you, but hell, I know what it's like to have the clock ticking down."

"Stop Seifer," she hissed. She already felt like a horrible human being; she didn't need his colorful commentary to subtitle the guilt.

"You let him take the fucking book," He said before kicking an overturned chair.

In her own defense, Rinoa stood up. "What would you have me do, Seifer? Blow him up? Hell, maybe I should just take the whole ship with him."

"At this point, you might as well," he bellowed back before turning away to collect himself.

With his hand on his head, he started to pace. "Let me think for a minute."

His eyes seemed to move back and forth as if he were reading from a book.

"What the hell are you doing," she asked, fearing he lost his mind.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to recall what the book said," he answered without moving.

"You read the book," She asked startled.

"I didn't bother with reading it," he said looking down at her. "I sorta skimmed it while you were in the shower."

Her mood soured. "How would that help?"

"What do you care; I've got an eidetic memory, Heartily."

He could have told her she was a three-headed ruby dragon, and it would have been less shocking. "You've got a what?"

He seemed less than impressed with her. "Seriously Rinoa, how do you think I passed all those damn written tests for SeeD? It's not like I spent my time studying."

"I assumed you cheated." She answered frankly.

His mood had lightened for a second before a smirk spread across his lips, "Funny, the instructors thought the same thing."

"So, do you remember any of it?" She pressed him urgently.

He slowly nodded, lost in thought. "I looked at the diagrams and some of the calculations. I don't have all of it, but if I could get another look, I'm sure it would be enough to get Odine started."

Rinoa smiled at Seifer. "Hyne Seifer, I could kiss you right now!"

Another insistent barrage of knocking rattled her door, reminding them they were expected elsewhere.

"Yeah, we got it. We're coming!" Seifer shouted, turning Rinoa's insides out.

Rinoa shot him the mother of all glares. "You didn't need to do that."

Their secret may have been safe with Lani, but now it was all but guaranteed to be public knowledge before they even made it to the debriefing room.

"Oh, sorry. Did you want our night to stay private? Just figured that not only did I just cover your affair with Leonhart, but also he will be more jealous than he was before. I think that's a win-win for you."

Too hung-over to argue, Rinoa did the only thing she could do. She walked away from him.

If this was Seifer helping her out, she was in deeper trouble than she thought.

ooo000ooo

The news about Rinoa and Seifer had made it to the debriefing room before they did, as expected. Walking in together made the room turn into a war zone. It was an "us against them" kind of moment. For Rinoa, it felt like high school all over again, the herd had identified them as unbefitting, and now had no trouble outwardly being against them.

Apparently, Seifer had never faced this issue before, as he walked in oblivious. Seeing some female SeeDs eyes on him, he gave them all small wink before falling into a chair. Rinoa followed suit with little fanfare, as no one was eager to make eye contact with her. The only exception was one individual standing at the front of the room—Leonhart.

She could sense him demanding her attention through their bond. Ignoring the extreme pressure to look at him, she took a seat next to Seifer. The last thing she wanted to see was the man who had betrayed her earlier.

"Brrr, it's cold in here," Seifer said under his breath, indicating "Operation Lock Down" wasn't very successful.

"Let's begin," Sarvis started, more than eager to get on with her tasks.

Walking to the front of the room, she revealed a thin tablet no bigger than the size of her palm. The device radiated a small translucent holographic map. She zeroed in on a small section of central Centra, where a peninsula on the southeastern end became highlighted in red.

With the dream fresh in Rinoa's mind, her mouth ran dry at seeing the highlighted location. She tried to ignore the feeling of dread that seeped into the bond as she looked away from the map. She wasn't the only one who made the connection.

"We will approach from the sky and land here in less than ten minutes." Sarvis informed the group, waving her hand towards the map. "A team of Balamb SeeDs has already cleared the area and are with Kinneas' team as we speak. They will go over with them our terms for contact."

"Which are…" Rinoa asked.

"First, we demand that their ship leave the premise and remain a two-hundred miles away during the contact. Second, we will host all negotiations on our ship. Third, only Quistis, Commander Kinneas, Dr. Massey, and his assistant Dr. Fuller, may board our ship. We also have the right to search for and remove all communication devices. Finally, we must be allowed to leave first. Only after we have successfully left the air space may their ship come and retrieve them."

Seifer's eyebrow arched. "That's a lot of demands when we are the ones asking for their help."

"With all due respect Mr. Alsamy, Our number one priority is and always will be, to protect the ship. You have seen that in action during the raid of Fishermen's ruins. "

Rinoa spoke up. "Who's Dr. Massey and Fuller?"

The question was apparently a loaded one because the room became deathly silent. The bond stirred in her, as an ominous mood rolled through. Lani opened her mouth to speak, but another voice interjected.

"They are the scientists from Esthar, who have developed a way to contain you." Squall answered softly and honestly.

Everyone seemed on edge now, as they looked at Rinoa for a reaction, evaluating every breath took for a sign of danger. Her jaw tightened as she stared down her former lover.

"You mean kill me?"

The dream she experienced now made perfect sense. Seifer was accurate in the fact that it was Leonhart's dream that Rinoa had been pulled into. It was more than a mere coincidence that in the dream they ended up in Centra. Now they were meeting with doctors who would arm Leonhart with a way to permanently contain her.

She felt Seifer nudge her, making her aware that she was obliviously staring down the silent Captain. Having taken the cue, she leaned back into her chair and looked away. Sarvis took the opportunity to continue unimpeded.

"The negotiations will start out in the boardroom with Quistis and Leonhart. Commander Kinneas' response will dictate if Sorceress Heartilly will be included in these."

Rinoa couldn't help but feel that the inclusion of a sorceress was a small jab.

"We will allow the doctors to discuss their work, but as for the technical aspects of the attack, those details will remain classified on a need to know basis."

"Sounds like I was right about them putting you in a museum, Heartilly," Seifer prodded, making everyone around them grow uncomfortable.

Rinoa looked curiously at Seifer, who laughed quietly at her.

"Save the commentary until we break, please Almasy, " Sarvis retorted.

Seifer leaned towards Rinoa, "Is it my imagination, or does she and Quistis have the same bad authoritative bitch look? It's a freaking turn on."

Seifer had to be on something. There was no doubt about that. She wasn't sure how much more she could take of this.

"How well the negations will go, will dictate our exit strategy. Any questions?"

Almasy raised his hand.

"Good." Sarvis said turning it over to Leonhart while simultaneously ignoring Seifer.

"You're dismissed. Ready the ship for arrival." Leonhart commanded as the room quickly rose to their feet.

"'Da fuck-" Seifer said after realizing he had been outright discounted.

"Seems as we've both ended up on the shit-list." Rinoa sighed before standing up. "Let's go, Seifer."

Moving towards the door, Rinoa glanced up to see Leonhart carefully positioned there. When uncomfortable, normal people would fidget, but not Leonhart. He seemed to fall into the proper protocol to mask his concerns.

Attempting to exit quickly, the Leader leaned forward just in time to stop Rinoa from crossing the threshold.

"We need a sec."

Those soft words made her heart drum fast in her chest. She couldn't help but suppress the small laugh, as all he needed to do was to ask her to trust him, in order to make this perfect.

The look on Leonhart's face told her that he heard that through the bond.

Keeping her eyes diverted, Rinoa's voice barely rose above a whisper, "I think it's best for everyone if we keep our distance."

Her childish nature won out, as usual. She couldn't hide the anger she still felt towards him, and in general, about the whole situation.

"Rinoa…"

"Captain Leonhart?"

A new voice cut into the fray as Lani stood in the center of the room, as they had moved past the point of pretense. Lani didn't pretend to have any important information or new data, she simply was there to tell him to let her go.

Everyone understood that, as the uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

Suddenly, a hand took hers. Rinoa looked to see Seifer slowly pulling her away from Squall. Allowing her body to be guided, she followed the ex-knight without question, leaving hers behind.

ooo000ooo

Rinoa followed two steps behind Seifer as they were shown to the control room, where they could watch and wait for the negotiations to fizzle.

The center screen, which held the map of their world, now flashed with holographic scenes, one was of the ground below them, and the other was of the boardroom.

In the room with them, were two White SeeDs. One of which, was a female around Rinoa's age, with braided golden hair, who worked on telecommunications. The other SeeD Rinoa had seen a few times around the ship. His role was never much of a secret. He notoriously watched Rinoa like a hawk. She wasn't sure how exactly he was supposed to subdue her, but it must have given the other white SeeDs on board a false sense of security.

"Do we have ears on the Captain and Sarvis?" The male asked.

The blonde nodded before throwing a black bag at the two lowly rejects behind them.

Scowling, Seifer picked the bag off of the floor.

"Surveillance equipment," Rinoa recognized. She was rather familiar with the black sticker, seeing one had been placed on her during her last meeting with Quistis.

Removing the sticker, Seifer placed his on the underside of his collar. Rinoa looked at hers and just slapped it on her shorts. The two pariahs remained mostly quiet as the others checked the camera angles.

Rinoa scanned Seifer's arm that she had injured. She could see that he was still favoring it heavily.

"How's your arm?" She asked inquisitively. "Are you in pain?"

Seifer laughed, "Nah, I took something for it. The shit they gave me was so strong that you could throw an Ultima spell on me, and I'd think it was a disco party."

"You don't say..." Rinoa turned back to the screen perplexed.

"Focus in on camera one." The blonde ordered through a headset, so thin Rinoa nearly missed it. There were two ships on the ground now. One just had started firing up its engines to take off.

Three times the picture blinked before having a perfect view of three men standing on the ground. Rinoa squinted, attempting to make out the faces, trying to discern what she was seeing.

"That can't be," She said sitting straight up. "No way, that's not Irvine..."

Seifer, just as intrigued, stood up to stare at the screen, "I'm not too familiar with that asshole, but I kinda recognize him..."

Rinoa's eyes rounded as she leaned back in utter shock. The tall center figure could have passed as Irvine if he were to cut his hair, which was unimaginable. Sure Rinoa could turn evil, but Irvine cutting his hair was just impossible.

"Balamb's ship is now leaving," the girl confirmed as Rinoa saw the engines rumble to life. Rinoa spotted Quistis walking with two males who carried a black briefcase. It was Dr. Massey and his assistant, the ones who were paid to find a way to contain her. Rinoa fell back to the couch as her nerves got the better of her. There was a good chance she would end up in a room with them.

The idea made her want to hurl.

The reunion between Quistis and Irvine seemed to remain professional outwardly, but there was no question that Irvine seemed to light up when Quistis spoke.

She knew she shouldn't read into it, but it made her hold out hope.

The blonde interrupted Rinoa's thoughts, "Ships are out of range, uncloak and start the descent."

She could feel the ship's hum grow louder beneath her feet. On the screen, Irvine gazed up in surprise as the ship slowly made its way down. Lots of words were abruptly being exchanged between the two parties. Rinoa couldn't tell if they were objections or not.

The bay door opened ushering Sarvis and Leonhart in.

"What's the status?" Leonhart asked, ignoring Rinoa to look at the screen.

The blonde didn't say anything, but instead handed him her earpiece.

Likely not a good sign, Rinoa looked down as the anxiety started to build.

Slipping the small device into his ear, Leonhart leaned on the railing to watch the exchange go down. There appeared to be a lot of arguing going on between everyone, and it was easy to see that Quistis had very little control of guiding the conversations.

Leonhart's face remained stern for a few moments as he monitored the situation on the ground. Irvine had turned his attention to the men who had accompanied him, which made Leonhart's expression lighten.

"He's going to meet with us. Prepare the room," Leonhart commanded, taking the earpiece out.

The two white SeeDs sitting around him didn't seem as sure as he was, but they didn't hesitate to follow the command of their commanding officer.

"Do you have a plan on what you're going to say?" Sarvis asked Leonhart as he pulled away from the railing.

He stopped and looked at Sarvis, sending a chill throughout the room.

"I'm going to talk to him as a friend, not as a potential client."

Seifer kicked back, watching the awkwardness as if it were a comedy on television. Rinoa, on the other hand, stood transfixed on the figures moving towards the descending ship.

"Its go time." The blonde acknowledged. It was enough to break the room's tension, leading Squall to straighten up, knowing he needed to make his appearance soon.

The group disappeared from the outside view, meaning they were only a security clearance away from starting this mission. Rinoa couldn't help but wonder how Irvine would react to seeing his old friend. Maybe he'd be excited to Squall after so long.

One thing she couldn't be sure of was if he was prepared to see someone like her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo000ooo
> 
> Layla's Corner
> 
> ooo000ooo
> 
> I just want to thank everyone for their reviews. It does motivate me to see people still enjoying the story and kicks my ass into gear.
> 
> You know what to do! READ AND REVIEW!


	17. Chapter 17: A War Between Houses

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: A War Between Houses  
Beta: Bebdora

ooo000ooo

Chapter 17: A War Between Houses

ooo000oo

Everything familiar had been washed away by the seas of time. All the comfortable truths and reliable constants had been dissolved, and with it, Rinoa's confidence had slowly eroded away. In its absence, doubt had flooded in, keeping her fastened to the movement on the two large screens in front of her.

As the cowboy from her youth appeared on screen, it became apparent that he didn't carry a single piece of his former self with him. Long sun-kissed mahogany locks had been sheared short and had deeply darkened from his time behind a desk. His originality was heavily suppressed by the bluish gray uniform he dawned, making Rinoa miss the signature cowboy boots and twisted smile she had grown accustomed too.

Despite being the youngest of their group, he had certainly seemed to age the most from Rinoa's perspective. Not in the typical fashion one might expect, rather in more subdued ways. His face had thinned out to the point where it appeared almost gaunt, exasperating his already sharp bone structure. No longer able to offer up a smile, his hardened expression seemed to be accentuated by exhaustion. Undoubtedly from the deep rooted trouble he faced, not just from facing an uncertain war between countries, but also between family and friends.

Lacking his usual bravado, Irvine kept his head down as he slowly walked towards the table. Once upon a time, this man couldn't enter the cafeteria without attracting every set of eyes upon him, yet now he was willing to fall silently into the fold. The shining brilliance that once guided their team had been completely snuffed out.

Rinoa's hand pressed against her mouth in an attempt to cover her dismay. She watched as Irvine glanced up towards the camera, acknowledging the group watching him, but even then his eyes seemed austere despite the high definition feed. Lifeless or not, they easily appeared to captivate her from behind the camera. Rinoa may love another; however even she wasn't immune to what made well—Irvine. He artificially held her gaze for a moment, and she half expected for him to call out to her. She wished he would, or crack a joke or smile. Instead, the pain seemed to translate in a seamless moment, before silently looking back. He took a seat and folded his hands in his lap as he glanced around the cold and sterile environment.

The room Rinoa sat in now was boisterous from the SeeDs directing of the mission. It all became background noise as she watched her friend drown in despondency. It was killing her to see this and yet have no one else in the room seemed to take note. She struggled not being able to reach out to him, even if it was just for a moment, so she could take a piece of his pain away.

"You'll get your chance with him." Seifer broke through her trance, making her aware of how much he was reading through their bond. "Hell, maybe even I'll get in on this action."

Lani turned to the ex-knight quickly, "You're not taking part, Seifer. You're only cleared to escort and observe. Understood?"

Another white SeeD redirected Lani's attention away then, but the conversation was anything but over from Seifer's reaction. Much like a child slamming a foot down in defiance, Seifer filled the space between them with so much white-hot anger that it made Rinoa look at him apprehensively. It was clear that the playfield was going to shift, and Rinoa had no plans on getting involved in whatever Seifer was planning.

"We're ready for you, Leader," Sarvis informed, falling into a military salute.

Careful not to be caught looking, Rinoa quickly glanced towards Leonhart, who had reverted into his own head to calculate his next steps. At times like this she wished she could push her way through the bond to see what was rolling around his head. Unfortunately, she seemed to lack the control both Seifer, and Leonhart had over their bond. The two of them always seemed to find their way in, yet she could never figure her way out. She wondered if her former lover was anxious about this meeting, or if he had any good standing left with their old friend to rely on. Without so much as a word, the Leader turned to leave the room, not acknowledging any of the SeeDs who saluted him as he passed.

With the tension in the room growing thicker by the second, Seifer stretched his arms out wide before finding a resting spot behind his neck.

"Fifty Gil says he gets decked." He said, leaning his head back nonchalantly.

The SeeDs that heard him immediately stopped what they were doing to scowl in his direction. Rinoa, on the other hand, enjoyed his light-heartedness as a way to escape her own troubling thoughts.

"Fifty says he will embrace him."

The acceptance of Seifer's wager forced Lani to turn around.

"Another word out of either of you and you both will be ejected from this mission."

Seifer balked at her empty threat for a second, leading Rinoa to think that there soon would be a skirmish between the two of them. But as the fates would have it, Seifer's attention quickly reverted to the screens.

When Quistis entered the room, it was impossible to miss how Seifer's expression softened with attentiveness. Quistis—marred or not—had that effect on most people, and not just on the opposite sexes. Finding a seat opposite from the cowboy, Rinoa couldn't help but notice how much attention Seifer gave his former instructor, as she brushed her long blonde locks over one shoulder. He would likely never admit it to her, but Rinoa had always wondered if part of his goading nature towards Quistis was out of affection.

There was a hurried exchange of words before the door opened again, but this time, Leonhart walked through. A peculiar silence came over the room as the moment they all had waited for finally arrived, and now as Rinoa watched on, she worried she may have placed her bet poorly. This would define how much of her world had changed, and, by the way her heart was starting to crash, she wasn't confident she could handle the truth.

When the cowboy looked up, he remained impassive to the lost figure of his youth's presence. With an unbreakable stare, neither one said anything to each other as Leonhart approached the table cautiously. Then, with an air of indifference, Irvine leaned back in his chair as his crisp blue eyes took Leonhart in.

No one in the control room ventured to break the silence out of fear that it would somehow set off a series of catastrophic events. It was ridiculous in all senses, but even Rinoa found herself on the same wavelength, as she kept gnawing on her inner cheek. Finally, it seemed as if Kinneas realized he would have to be the first to speak. After all, he knew how skillful Leonhart was at the silent game.

Irvine shook his head, slightly bewildered, "Granted, the white ship was a shock, but nothing compared to seeing you with it."

There wasn't any outward reaction after that. Rinoa's eyes danced all over the screen trying to draw a conclusion if this was ending before it even began.

Stoically still uncommunicative, Leonhart took another step towards Irvine as if readily accepting any further response.

Irvine stood up, causing the metal legs of the chair to scrape on the steel paneled flooring. Everyone but those in that meeting room flinched. Seeing the two face-to-face made them all breathless. Rinoa watched helplessly as the two matched each other in an irritating silence, not for a moment letting down their guard.

And then Irvine Kinneas let out a crooked smile.

With words unspoken, the two embraced and that served as all the conversation the two would ever need. With one simple action, both seemed to have accepted where their fate had lead to and each other's roles in getting there.

Rinoa wasn't the only who was touched by the unexpected gesture, Quistis looked down at the table with a trace of a smile peeking through her professional façade

Laughing a bit, Irvine pulled away first, but not before giving Leonhart's shoulder two firm pats.

Once Irvine found his seat again, he had to confess, "I know this means I shouldn't get excited. I've got a feeling I won't be enjoying this for too much longer, since you took all my communication devices."

'He has no idea', Rinoa thought to herself as she watched on.

"You realize you've set me up for a firestorm back at my Garden once they find out about this?" Irvine inquired, crossing his arms as Squall took a seat next to Quistis.

Quistis was compelled to answer for that. "We know. But if it helps, we're sorry in advance. I can assume you understand why all these necessary precautions had to be taken?"

"I guessed." The cowboy gave Leonhart a small but troubled smile. "Can we talk about that?"

"No."

Leonhart was quick to answer, confident in what Irvine's question pertained too. That response interested Rinoa significantly. It appeared that her theory was still holding strong. All the original members of their group were in on Leonhart's little secret. A part of her hoped that topic would slip in their conversation, but it seemed that both Trepe and Leonhart were doing the extra legwork for that not to happen.

Regret flashed on Irvine's face as he mulled things over for a moment, "I see, mate. Still, It's good to see you again. It's been years, hasn't it?"

Leonhart nodded curtly, "Four or five."

Lost in time, Irvine agreed with a meek nod. "How've you been?"

It was far from pleasantries, yet rather a share of genuine concern between two friends. Rinoa watched, enthralled. After the shocking meeting of Selphie, Rinoa knew she couldn't rely on her friends being the same after the harsh toll the years had brought on them. It was with great relief to see that Irvine still resembled the caring man he had once been. Just like before, his first thought was of his comrades and their wellbeing before himself. It made the lethal emotion of hope swell in her chest.

Placing one arm on the table, Leonhart leaned towards Irvine. "It's been… difficult."

Irvine looked away, his mood darkening considerably. Rinoa could see the shield had risen. "I have a feeling that difficulty is the reason why I'm here without my escorts."

A sharp breath hitch in Rinoa as the mood turned towards a new direction. Leonhart pulled out a half-smile of recognition that his friend wasn't willing to spare time for sociable conversation after all.

"You know we lost Balamb." Leonhart began.

"I do." Irvine granted. "She hired several of my SeeD's for technical planning, but most of the actual fighting was done by her people. They're behind her, Squall."

Rinoa waited for Leonhart to submit a rebuttal but in its place he only nodded.

"Of course they are. I don't disagree with them. You know that." He answered softly.

He didn't? We didn't? Was this a "we" thing? Rinoa wasn't sure, but she felt blind-sided by the admission.

"Itis difficult to know where you stand nowadays. At least the others made their positions clear, but you… I've never been sure which side you belonged to. You say one thing, but your actions do another."

"Don't you?" Leonhart seemed to look inward as he spoke. "I thought I've been transparent."

Irvine said nothing as the silence lingered. To Rinoa's surprise, it was Leonhart who would be first to break it.

"It's already been six years since I've last seen her. Six years… and still I love her as much now as I did when I jumped out into space. "

Taking a moment to reconsider, Leonhart drew in a quick breath reanalyzing his last comment. "No, I love her even more. Every year I find new reasons to love her. I know you can comprehend that more than most."

Rinoa couldn't help but sit up completely uncomfortable, as she failed in not looking over to Lani. To her credit, Lani remained completely removed from the context of his words. She just watched, fixated on the screen with her arms crossed. Cursing her lack of maturity, Rinoa couldn't help but wonder how she could remain so impartial.

"I do, but you have a funny way of showing it," Irvine retorted shifting slightly. "But why am I here now?"

"I only have one question for you, Irvine. If you could change the past in order to change our future, would you?" Leonhart asked.

Quistis watched intently as the two played a silent game of chicken. Which one of them would say something first?

Irvine broke away first as his eyes narrowed. "Shoot, name a single person on this planet who is happy with how it all turned out. No one expected this, Squall. Not me… not Rinoa… no one watching us…"

Irvine acknowledged the camera in the top corner of the room before looking back. "We all had our roles to play in it. For better or worse, the bad decisions I've made led me here. If anything, Ellone has taught us that changing the past is impossible—not to mention illegal. So honestly, why are we hashing this out again? What's the point?"

Furrowing her brows, Rinoa watched as Leonhart engaged the former cowboy with a steel-like stare.

"One year ago, someone tripped the ABS alarm."

Irvine was emotionless as he spoke, "What?"

No one said anything as they watched the cowboy fight his own logic to grasp what Leonhart had told him. "Wait-What? But how? A year?! And I'm just hearing about this now? Why keep this a secret? Do we know who the threat is?"

"We do, which is why it was kept classified," Quistis spoke first.

"Well, who dammit?" Kinneas demanded again, annoyed by the roundabout answers.

"Rinoa," Leonhart replied softly.

Without hesitation, Irvine dismissed the notion with a flick of his head. "Impossible."

Letting out a small sigh, Squall looked down while he closed his eyes for a moment before standing his ground. "Irvine. We know for a fact that it was."

Already tired of bickering, Irvine shook his head before clarifying with more conviction, "One of the main components of the compact was to know everything before it happens. Every attack. Every strategy. Also, it states that she has to follow International rules governing warfare. I'd know, Squall. She couldn't have. She'd be breaking half a dozen- "

"Irvine, Squall Leonhart has disappeared from the timeline." It was Quistis's voice that now interjected into the fray causing the cowboy to go silent. "We have pictures of her men near people you would recognize as a time stamp to prove it."

A set of papers tucked in a plain envelope was pushed forward, making Kinneas uneasy. He had to be wondering if he should even humor them by looking, but still, if there was a complaint he had to take it seriously, right?

After a moment of hesitation, long fingers reached for the crisp envelope, pulling pictures out one-by-one. Not once did Irvine's face betray his feelings.

"No one remembers me. Instead of saving the world, Seifer had been the leader of our mission," Leonhart continued as the cowboy surveyed the pictures.

The cowboy laughed in absolute disbelief, "Seifer? Now I know you're full of shit."

He lazily threw the pictures back towards them.

Next to Rinoa, Seifer raised his hand up to the screen, insulted. "What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

Rinoa shot him a look that should have explained it enough, but the implication went right over Seifer's head. Lani turned to the ex-knight who begrudgingly remembered his forced code of silence.

"We have confirmation." Quistis testified on Leonhart's defense. "We have proof, Irvine. This isn't something you can ignore-"

"What kind of proof is this Quisits?" Irvine seemed to be growing agitated. "Balamb doesn't need a lot of evidence nowadays to join in the anti-sorceress campaign. These pictures could easily be faked."

"I've gone back myself." Leonhart kept level with the cowboy.

Irvine looked to Quistis or a second to look for a punch line, but short of one, he looked back to his former commander. "You went back?"

"Yes," Leonhart firmly stated.

"Back in time…" No longer a question, but a statement to work through, as he came to terms with their story. "If I were to ask how that was possible…"

Leonhart was quick to cut him off, "Your first guess would likely be the correct one."

Irvine slumped in his chair. "Shit, man…"

"I wish I could get more into the technical details, but you understand any further acknowledgments come with risks that I'm not willing to make."

That comment seemed to chide their childhood friend. "I've kept your secret for six years. Doesn't that mean anything anymore?"

"It does," Leonhart agreed truthfully. "It honestly does."

"Still, I am supposed to take this at your word? You really believe Rinoa would do this?" The skepticism prevented Kinneas from seeing the truth.

"Why is this so difficult to accept Irvine? " Quistis pushed his logical side. "Do you doubt that she would kill him on the battlefield if given the chance? Then how much of a stretch is it that she would take him out in the only way she has access to him?"

"Still, what will ya'll have me do? You keep this secret for a year and then try to push some pictures—with a vague story, by the way—and expect me to bring this back to Galbadia? What do you expect them to do about this?"

"We want you to initiate a board hearing to cancel the compacts," Squall answered truthfully.

Irvine glanced up at his former friends, his trigger finger twitched. "Let's not kid ourselves. Balamb is likely eight months away from running out of supplies. Esthar has been good to you, but at what cost do you expect them to fund a losing fight? If Rinoa wanted to end this war right now, all she would have to do is express no interest in Esthar in return for their cooperation. How long do you think Ellone could hold out before the pressure of her people forces her to break ties with Garden? With all the embargos in place, there is no way she could support two Gardens under the table. So if we're being realistic, you've got—at best—five months after Esthar cuts ties with you before you're out of options. You think Galbadia is really going to sever ties with the clear victor, broken contract or not?"

Leonhart stated surprisingly, "No, I don't."

Baffled, Irvine's left hand gestured for enlightenment. "Then explain your angle to me."

"I need the distraction." Leonhart divulged, "I need all inside intel from where her troops are, to where your SeeD's will be. We're closing in as collective, but we need all three Gardens' participation—even if one is not aware of it."

The news caught Irvine off guard, as small dismayed laugh left him weakened. "You want me to betray my Garden?"

The control room soundlessly watched as the cowboy shook his head on screen. The anger in him made his face twist with disgust. "You want me to destroy everything I've worked for… and for what? How are you expecting me to do this?"

"We are not under any illusion on what we are asking. We're asking you to do the unimaginable for the greater good." Leonhart confirmed softly.

"Greater good for who?" Irvine demanded, feeling sickened.

Leonhart didn't directly answer him, "We have everyone on board except for you. I wish I could give you the time to think about it, but I think you've done a good enough job highlighting how little time we have left. I'm looking at a week at most, Irvine. A week and things will be too late. I won't exist anymore."

Stunned Irvine kept shaking his head; "You're saying that this is already in place? Has Esthar agreed? Apparently Balamb is jumping at the bit for this opportunity, but what about Trabia? Does my darling wife want anything to do with you?"

"Yes, they will be involved… if we get the plan locked in. That rests on you. Squall's life is dependent on your cooperation." Quistis pressed.

Silent for a half second, Irvine looked at Leonhart more seriously now. "You mean as long as I agree to be a part of this, Trabia will cooperate? What's the end game?"

Rinoa's heart seemed to stop as they all waited for Leonhart to respond. She watched the former knight lean heavily on the table to meet Irvine eye-to-eye. His next words were so soft that it felt like she had imaged them rather then actually heard them.

"I'll seal her away, so no one else will die."

The control room seemed to have collectively fallen still in response to their captain's words. For herself, Rinoa plunged into an ice-cold daze.

"What?" Irvine leaned back in disgust, as he searched his friend for more answers. "Sealing her? Seriously?"

"What other choice am I left with, Irvine?" Squall implored him with a sharp edge to his tone. The façade he had been relying on was starting to crack. "As ridiculous as our story is, it's the truth. It's not just a matter of life and death, it's a question of existence."

Irvine shook his head raising his voice, "Three minutes ago you were saying how much you loved-"

Acting on a short fuse, Leonhart interrupted him. "Damn you, Irvine! Do you think I've been doing all this because I want to? Hyne, Do you have any idea what it's been like these last few years wondering- "

"Keep it together, Leader, " Sarvis warned through the earpiece causing the former commander to flinch slightly before falling into silence. Irvine appeared unmoved as Quistis raced to fill in.

"It's not a decision we've made lightly. We could have come running a month after the ABS was tripped, but we didn't. We wanted to be sure and exhaust all other routes. Your assessment of us was accurate. We're desperate now, and if sealing her is the only option we have left, we must take it while we can….before it's too late."

Quistis looked to Squall, and for the first time Rinoa could see the burden in her eyes. Like an older sister looking at her brother with only seconds to live, there wasn't anything anyone could say to absolve her of her greatest fears.

"I'm supposed to just take this on your word and run along back to Garden?" Irvine said in deep contemplation. "I'm sorry, mate. I can't make such a life-altering decision just off of your word... off of hope. This would affect more people than just myself. Forget my career, I'd be taking the lives of my own people. I would be a war criminal. I have to think about what little family I have left… I…."

Sarvis turned to Rinoa before sending a message through her headset to Leonhart.

"We're sending her in."

Rinoa looked up to the screen to see Leonhart shifting uncomfortably in his chair. Even the marksman saw the movement as unusual and anticipated some altercation.

Finding her way to her feet, Rinoa felt a wave of uncertainty hit her as she tried to comprehend the storm she was walking into. Feeling her tribulations, Seifer stood up and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Cheer up. Unlike the last few encounters, this one actually doesn't want you dead."

That's one way of putting it. Rinoa grimaced as Seifer steered her through the heavily guarded corridor towards the meeting room. She could hear the footsteps of Sarvis and her SeeDs behind her, and despite Seifer flanking her side, she felt absolutely alone at that moment.

Seifer leaned in as his arm gave her a reassuring squeeze, "It's time to prove your worth. Convince him that he doesn't have any other choice, and whatever you do, don't fuck it up."

"I've always appreciated your motivational speeches, " Rinoa panned as Seifer broke away from her side as they neared the meeting room door.

She couldn't hide the embarrassment she felt as her hand trembled while reaching out to open the door. No one said anything as they watched her, but she knew they all saw it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo000ooo
> 
> Layla's Corner
> 
> ooo000ooo
> 
> Sometimes a review will pop up and remind me that there are people still counting on me to finish this saga. I also get notified when people favorite or follow my work, so again it all helps. Thank you!
> 
> So as always, read and review! Also don't forget to follow up for updates.


	18. Chapter 18: To know the Future...

Beta: Bebdora

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Chapter 18: To know the Future...

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Unnerved by the sudden opening of the room's door, the restless cowboy glanced upward, meeting Rinoa's eyes as she cautiously entered the room. A strange, yet unsettled look befell Irvine, as he was careful not to break eye contact with her.

At first, he seemed to have difficulty placing how he knew her. It was hard to say if he honestly just didn't recognize her or if he just had trouble reasoning with what he saw. Ultimately the recognition came, overwhelming the marksman with confusion.

Irvine stood up from his chair nearly tipping it over as if he had just seen a ghost. It was terrifying being caught in the marksman's scope, unable to tell if he was friend or foe. Noticing his face contort with disgust rendered the sorceress paralyzed, and she was unable to advance further into the room.

Each breath was too painful to endure, as seconds seemed to take hours to pass. His well-defined sharp jaw hitched while his eyes narrowed, treating Rinoa more like a specimen for study rather than a living, breathing human being she was. Able to gather his wits once more, Irvine turned to Squall with a foreboding look.

"What have you done?"

Freed from her imaginary captor, Rinoa looked to the former commander supervising the interaction. Leonhart had to have been preparing for this kind of reaction from his former comrade. Rinoa prayed to Hyne that he had come up with a half decent explanation because she knew she was far from being able to assist.

"There was a complication," Leonhart responded.

Even Rinoa was disappointed by the answer he offered.

"A complication?" Irvine balked at the choice of words. "Complication my Galbadian ass, Squall! What's next? Am I going to walk through that door too?"

The sound of an argument breaking out in the hallway was all the sorceress needed to hear to know the shocking revelations were just beginning. Heavy footsteps entered in from behind her with the voice of a disgruntled ex-knight intruding.

"Sorry to disappoint."

Irvine's eyes widened horror upon seeing the living ghost. "Holy shit."

The back of Irvine's legs hit his chair causing him to collapse into it. Nonchalantly, Seifer pushed the immobile sorceress towards a vacant seat before finding his own. Taking the metal chair with one hand, Seifer made a production by swinging it around before sliding it back towards the table to straddle it. All the while, Leonhart looked up to the ceiling, far from being amused by Almasy's ungracious presence muddling up an already dire meeting.

Taking her own seat in a milder manner, Rinoa could only thank Hyne for Seifer's inability to play by the rules. While currently angering those perceived to be in charge, he was giving her the assist she needed to make it through this in one piece. Having him there next to her was the solid reminder she needed that she wasn't alone and washed away her fears.

How things have changed.

Seifer Leaned precariously forward while his petrifying glare established its target. Slack-jawed, the cowboy had difficulty coming to terms with the two people sitting next to each other without trying to kill one another.

Never one to not enjoy a captivated audience, Seifer spoke first, "It's been a long time, cowboy. Well, not as long for me, but I'd guess at least a decade or two for you. Wait, let me make a guess, I'd bet that the last time you saw me was at the trial. Remember? The one where you 'opted' to testify for me?"

"Neither for nor against," Irvine corrected him, bewildered that he was speaking to someone long gone from his world. "But I reckon the rest is about right."

Rolling his head slightly back, Seifer laughed. "Yeah, that kind of fucked me right there. A shame really, cause out of all you assholes they sent to kill me, I hated you the least. Hell, if things had been different, you might've been part of my posse."

Where Seifer was going with this, Rinoa had no idea. She looked over to Quistis, who seemed equally as lost on how to wrangle the control back from Almasy.

"Perhaps." A nervous, albeit, amused smile crossed Irvine's face. "It's a shame you went for that homicidal romantic dream of yours."

"So you'll befriend that homicidal maniac, but not me?" Seifer said, lifting an eyebrow towards Rinoa. Feeling the jab, Rinoa shot Seifer a tiresome look, urging him to make his point.

"I'd say you're more of a sociopath," Rinoa interjected.

Irvine mulled that over. "Wish I could say that it's different, but we'd all know the truth. It isn't." He finally looked over to Rinoa, and there was no hiding the amount of uneasiness he had seeing her there. "I don't even know what to say to you."

"I think that was my line, Irvine." Rinoa managed a wistful smile before falling back into silence.

It was clear that Irvine now had nothing left to do but come to terms with the situation he had unknowingly entered into by accepting their invitation.

He apprehensively looked over to Leonhart. "You've told her everything then?"

"Nothing." Leonhart's tone to served as a warning.

Doubling over the table as if Irvine had taken a bullet, he beseeched the impervious leader. "You've told her nothing?"

Laughing, Seifer interjected, "Yeah, as you can imagine it's been a giant game of 'What did Leonhart fuck up.' Not a particularly challenging game, mind you but look who's the game master."

"He's on a lot of pain meds." Rinoa offered as an explanation, as Irvine scrutinized the mad man.

"This is completely unethical," Irvine chastised in repugnance.

"Agreed," Leonhart admitted, even surprising Kinneas, who was expecting more of a defense.

"What Leonhart means to say," Rinoa interjected to get them all back on track, "is that it wasn't his decision to bring me aboard. I came through time by accident, and once I was here, I refused to leave. How could I? This is all my fault."

"I believe you think that, Rinoa," Irvine spoke, anxiously fidgeting with his scratched up wedding band. "And I believe that you would fight for him without question, but there is a lot more to this than you understand."

"Oh trust me, I'm reminded every day of the things being kept from me, and to his credit, Leonhart has even gone as far as telling me not to trust him. Having since fallen into this, I've only seen the reminders of how you all have been torn apart by us. The further I go, the more disheartened I feel about my future-"

"Which is why you shouldn't be here," Squall muttered the hardened words under his breath.

Rinoa turned to him, but her former lover refused to meet her calculating look.

"Perhaps I shouldn't be here. It's logical for everyone to fear what might change, but is the alternative really that much better?"

Rinoa's attention redirected back to the cowboy. "My life was stolen from me, and all because of his betrayal? I went through hell for a year searching for him, and I'm not about to give it all up now. Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that whatever Squall has done to me warrants me changing the past?"

For a moment, Irvine's eyes traveled to Leonhart out of frustration. "No"

Rinoa felt relieved to hear his response as she pushed him further. "Irvine, how certain are you that my future self is acting in the right frame mind?"

Again, Irvine's eyes darted over to Leonhart, who seemed to be trying to impart a wordless message.

"Irvine," Rinoa said demanding his attention back.

The cowboy's voice began to rise. "You would have never ended up that way had it not been for him. He had a chance to save you and-"

"That's unfair, Irvine," Quistis chastised, shocked at her friend's admission. "You know he can't even defend himself!"

"That's on him, "Irvine snapped back.

Tensions ran high, as it became clear that Irvine held Quistis just as accountable for Rinoa's moral collapse.

The entire room felt like it was starting to shake. Clenching her fist to steady herself, Rinoa understood that it was all in her mind, more specifically, the bond between her and Leonhart, which had been coming under attack. His collected façade was merely a smokescreen.

Irvine turned back to Rinoa with renewed urgency.. "There was a point where he could have saved you, but he opted not to. Instead, he chose to abandon you when you were at your weakest, plain and simple. He had options. Options he willingly ignored-"

"Fuck you, Irvine," Squall exploded.

Equally matching in his anger, Irvine bolted up from his seat. "You damned her! How do you look at her and not feel compelled to tell her the truth? Where is your honor? Don't you think she has the right to know?"

"At what cost, Irvine? How much more do I need to lose to appease everyone? " Squall lashed out.

"You really are a cold hearted bastard, you know that? Your selfishness turned her into a monster and yet you still feel like you deserve some happiness? No wonder she wants you gone," Irvine shouted back and when it looked as if the two of them were about to come to blows

Rinoa stood up and slammed her fists on the tabletop. "I'm not her!"

Everyone jumped back with astonishment. Rinoa realized what had happened to garner such a terrified look on everyone's faces. The ice-cold table burned the skin of her hands, as she pulled away. A sheet of ice had encased the metal table in an expulsion of magic. Before she could even offer an apology, the room exploded with a barrage of SeeDs.

One minute she was staring at a firing squad, and the next she was safely pushed behind Leonhart. The sensation of magic being summoned in response was almost strong enough to overpower her.

"Stand down!" Leonhart bellowed fearlessly.

When the order did not result in the desired results, Quistis assumed control. "Your leader has ordered you to stand down!"

Unable to see what was happening, Rinoa could only tell how poorly this standoff was going by sensing Shiva being called up by Leonhart. A familiar voice intercepted the need for it.

"Stand down. The threat has been neutralized."

With an internal groan, Rinoa recognized Sarvis' commanding voice as the voice that quite possibly saved her.

It took a moment, but Rinoa could hear the slow shuffle of the SeeDs leaving as Leonhart was finally able to un-shield her. Embarrassed by the whole ordeal, Rinoa looked sheepishly towards the door where she accidently caught Sarvis' gaze. In the brief moment they shared, Rinoa witnessed Lani's anger come to a near boil.

Sarvis disengaged from their awkward meeting and looked towards Leonhart before yielding to his wish of make believe privacy.

Rinoa had been a fool to think that Lani did not know about the previous night's encounter with Leonhart. It was more likely that he had told her himself by how poorly that went. While this new information was unsettling, she had to remind herself of its low priority. Seifer brought that home when he slowly started to clap for her.

"Awesome show, Heartilly! At least there weren't any fireworks," Seifer chided as Rinoa self-consciously found her way to her seat.

"I'm sorry…" She mumbled, glancing at the table starting to melt onto the floor.

Truly the most visibly shaken one was Irvine. "I'm not trying to upset you..."

"I just haven't had time to get all of this under control yet," Rinoa rushed to explain, keeping her gaze down. "I just meant to say that I am not her. All this fighting is pointless. Maybe this future version of myself wants revenge, but that's definitely not who I am today. Today, I'm just Rinoa Heartilly—with powers that really complicates everything. I didn't ask for these powers. I don't even want them or the land I've been going for. More importantly, I don't want to hurt the people I love, even if they will hurt me someday."

She looked up to Irvine as she continued. "I hurt you and Selphie in the most profound way possible. That will stay with me for the rest of my life. You both have done nothing but have been there for me when Squall disappeared. You owe me nothing, but I owe you everything. I'm not asking you to help me for the sake Squall. I'm asking you to help me for your family's sake. Please help me stop hurting the people I love. Help us end this."

Rinoa could see the embattled former marksman toil with her emotional plea before starting to shake his head, turning her heart to stone.

With a heavy voice he whispered, "I'm sorry. I can't do it."

Air burned her lungs as she pulled in a painful breath. She tried to grapple with the fact that she had failed to persuade a pivotal player. What would this mean in the end? Would she have to fight against him on the battlefield? Was he now her enemy?

How could she ever fight against Irvine Kinneas?

Sarvis burst through the door before she could get an answer.

"Leader, the Global Telecommunication's airwaves have been hacked. It's preparing to send out a transmission."

"Local?" Squall inquired, in which the exotic SeeD shook her head.

"Global." She said giving a firm confirmation.

"Do we know who's behind this?" Irvine asked, troubled.

Leonhart seemed to know the answer before Seifer could reply with his theory.

"Sorceress Heartilly, of course," Seifer snarked enjoying this for all it was worth.

Blindsided, Rinoa watched as a new tribulation claimed her friends. Quistis turned towards Kinneas perturbed. Did you know about this?"

Troubled, Irvine shook his head. "Is there somewhere we can watch?"

"The control room is secured, Leader," Sarvis confirmed with extra SeeDs already lining the hallways as an extra line of security.

The artificial lighting in the hallway did nothing but enhance the ashen appearance of Rinoa's skin. She pretended not to notice how the group had assumed a defensive shield around her. Seifer walked briskly at her right while Irvine cautiously took her left. Sarvis and Quistis were guarding her back, which in truth made Rinoa incredibly uneasy. That left the Leader to be a good step in front of her, and before they could cross the threshold, he turned giving her piercing look.

. "No way," He stated firmly. "You will be escorted downstairs."

Insulted, Rinoa faced the almighty Lion. "You've got to be joking, Leonhart. I don't want to be issuing threats, but if you think you can exclude details pertaining to our missions- "

"You'll be the first to know." Insensitive blue eyes implored her to stand down.

"Damn it, Leonhart, stop provoking me! Did you forget about your table melting all over the floor back there? Seifer wasn't joking when he said the only thing missing was fireworks. Damn near half the ship is made from old timber! How well would it handle a fire of that magnitude—"

"Sorceress Heartilly, we will not tolerate threats -" Sarvis shouted.

"It's not a threat; it's physics!" Seifer retorted, unapologetically.

"It's thermodynamics, idiot" Rinoa muttered under her breath, embarrassed for Seifer.

"Yeah, whatever…. It's science," he replied without missing a beat.

"Many of you know me by the titles given to me over the last twenty years… 'One of the fated,' 'Sorceress', 'The bloody thirsty one'..."

The voice—her own voice—silenced everyone in the room, including Rinoa.

Arguments evaporated as everyone turned towards the recognizable sound coming from two large screens. No one prevented her from pushing her way past them as she walked into the center of the room.

"Today I come before you as the woman who existed before all those titles. I come as a woman seeking freedom from those who try to control the masses unjustly. Back then, it was with Galbadia and Timber, but today it's us against SeeD."

Never before had Rinoa felt more like a ghost. Existing in two parallel worlds, it felt wrong and unnatural to view herself as the others have. The two glowing screens carrying her image caused her to become weightless as she drew closer and closer to herself. All her thoughts were intertwining themselves as she finally put together what bothered her the most.

She looked human.

What was she expecting to see? She didn't know, but it wasn't the person on the screens. Most sorceresses of the past who had been consumed by power seemed to have evolved into mythological beings. Seeing as how it turned out she was synonymous with evil, there was this expectation that she would have claws, or at the very least, ominous wings to warn others of her vile intent.

That notion was wrong, very wrong. She looked everything but bleak.

Long raven-like hair flowed over a shoulder, clad in a royal silk blue blouse. She was ageless, not looking much older than she did now, yet she had skin like frosted glass with lips flushed with a peach coloring. If one word could describe her, it would be fragile, as she sat behind a glass table. She was effortless as she commanded the world's attention. No one bothered looking away.

She seemed completely at odds with herself. The last thing Rinoa would expect herself to be was graceful, but it had appeared outwardly she became everything Rinoa had ever hoped for, except in one aspect. When her older self spoke, it became evident that she was a hollow vessel, void of any emotion while speaking to the world she endangered.

"I've never wanted the bloodshed, and those we have lost in our fight weigh heavy on my heart."

From her peripheral vision, Rinoa saw Irvine approach with his arms folded.

"Yet, I know that peace and freedom come with a steep price. We have all been paying dearly the last few years, and I want you all to know that you are not alone in your suffering. We will not fall before SeeD. We will not allow them to monetize our pain, allow their greed to manipulate us, or let them use our children to build their empire!"

Rinoa felt as if she had turned to ice. Unable to control herself, she looked to Leonhart, who stood by Sarvis with his eyes glued to the floor. Why couldn't he bring himself to look? Accepting that he was a coward, Rinoa looked back to the screen where the woman's coffee stained eyes hardened.

"A long time ago I believed in the story they sold. If I could tell my past self one thing…"

Rinoa struggled to keep her mouth closed as he heart raced from the indirect message.

"The ones we trust the most—loved the most—have the power to destroy us in equal measure." Her future self's eyes deviated for a moment to take a breath.

When she herself was able to look up, Rinoa could see a sizable shift in demeanor as she implored herself to listen. "SeeD, and all who follow them are only out to hurt us. Life means nothing to these people. Not a single one of them can be trusted. Not even the one you loved and trusted more than anything."

Gutted, Rinoa lost focus as she slowly gained all the watchful set of eyes from SeeD's surrounding her. It wasn't until her fingers grew numb that she understood how tightly her fists had been clenched.

"Balamb and Trabia Gardens have entered into negotiations with Esthar on sealing me. Our intelligence states that contact has been made with Galbadia Garden to persuade them with false evidence in terminating our compact. I would suggest Galbadia think long and hard about what end of history they wish to be on."

"How the hell did this leak?" Sarvis demanded, looking at Irvine.

"How would I know?" He replied in equal consternation. "You're the ones holding our means of communication."

The sorceress on the screen continued, "Our doors for discussion are open, but we will not forgive our enemies. Those who side with them will face the ultimate consequence."

The screens cut out to a sweeping view of the city of Esthar behind its protective force field.

"What is this?" Irvine asked, his face dropping from concern.

No one responded as the skyline started to darken over the city leading a barrage of shrill phone calls started to pour into the control room.

Answering swiftly, Sarvis said nothing as a look of horror swept over her forcing her to look back to the screens in silence. They all understood what they were about to witness. The dark gray lines in the sky were airships dropping their cloaks. There was no time to brace for their attack; they had somehow outsmarted even the best of Esthar's defense systems and now sailed freely over the unaware city. In one coordinated assault, a flare ignited from the each of the ships and shot down towards the progressive city's defense system. A rain of fire descended on the bustling downtown and began to decimate the innocents below.

Panic swept the room as everyone instinctually moved towards the screens with alarmed expressions. While a counter attack from Estharian troops had already begun, it was far too late, and the shield protecting everyone yielded to the overpowering assault.

"Hyne, help them…" Quistis whispered while billowing smoke began to rise, filling the blue sky with a murky haze.

Seifer, uncharacteristically, sat by in complete silence; watching them burn with nothing more then narrowed eyes.

Rinoa, on the other hand, thought the world beneath her was trembling, but in reality, it was only her. Stumbling backward, she could no longer ignore the fury that was consuming her as buildings were reduced to ash. She wanted to act out right then. Scream out and fight for those people, but no one here would be sympathetic. Instead, she had to choke down the rage and repulsion she felt. Worse still, a part her first instinct was to close her eyes, but what right did she have to do that? Forcing herself to watch, she deserved not to be spared the pain.

Nothing could compare to what the people of Esthar were feeling right now.

Leonhart took two steps forward, eyes widening as he desperately tried to process the path enemy ships took in a desperate way to stop or prevent damage. The truth was that they were all equal at that moment, and none of them could do a damn thing but watch helplessly.

When the screen cut away, Rinoa's image reappeared. Callously, her future self looked at them all as if knowing the pain she had caused.

"In three days' time, we want an answer. You're either with us or against us in this fight. If this were a choice I had to make, I'd listen to the voice telling me that this wasn't right. "

Rinoa 's head dropped, allowing her hair to block her view. She wanted nothing more to do with the woman on the screen.

Irvine confirmed what everyone in the room was thinking, "Galbadia will side with her, Squall."

The once gallantly strong knight that stood protectively next to her was nothing more than an empty shell. No emotions clung to his exterior, but for the first time the bond gave her more insight. A pull so strong flowed through that it was almost a summons for her to meet with him. Rinoa would not go, though. Her pride wouldn't stand for that.

"But are you with Galbadia, cowboy?" Seifer pinned his question pointedly.

Kinneas didn't engage for a minute or two as he watched as the figure on the screen continued spew more worthless propaganda. It was small, but the cowboy shook his head, looking downward before whispering. "I'm in. It's gone far enough. I've got some conditions but meet them, and I'll find a way to deliver what you need."

With a brow arched from the cowboy's declaration, Seifer turned to Rinoa, impressed. "Not what I expected, but looks like you talked some sense into him after all."

Unable to respond to the jarring remark, Rinoa observed herself speak to the camera. So much of the words passing through her lips were filled with prewritten lines that she couldn't believe in. She had become nothing more than a well-oiled machine with nothing moving through her lips was convincing or personal. Anger welled up inside her as she struggled to remain composed. The one thought that nearly sent her over the edge was how strikingly familiar it all looked. She was a spitting image of her father. Saying and doing anything needed to have the winning outcome. It seemed as though she had lost her soul.

Her future self rested her plea, making Rinoa breath of a sigh of relief. She waited for the communications to break, however when that did not happen, she looked up with confusion.

The woman looking through now was someone else entirely. Raw emotions seemed to be slipping through her strategically built confidence as she struggled to say what needed to be said.

"I'm only going to say this once, Squall…" the future Sorceress warned.

Sarvis turned to her team with urgency and panic lacing her voice. It was if she knew what was coming. "Cut the feed! Now!"

But it was far too late. Her team tried to pull the transmission, but the Sorceress' next words slipped by too quickly.

"…I want my daughter back."

Then the screen cut to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo000ooo
> 
> Layla's Corner
> 
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> If you want to kick my ass for the cliff hanger, do it in a review. You have my blessing! Haha.
> 
> Please read and Review!


	19. Chapter 19: To Know The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo000ooo
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> Layla's Corner
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> ooo000ooo
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> 
> Ok, so this story had been messed up on A03 for awhile. I think I have fixed everything and added all the missing chapters. Jeeze what a mess! Now we are current and all up to date. Please find the time to kudos or comment! I'd love to hear from you!

Beta: Bebedora

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Chapter 19: To Know The Past

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Without knowing it, every seventeen-year-old is bestowed the gift of ignorance. So new to the world, they don't see how fragile they are in the world long-warped by others. They can't imagine how one decision, or one misstep, could result in making their seemingly perfect life fall apart.

At that age, Rinoa had faced the greatest threat their world would ever know and was blind to the sacrifices she would ultimately make. No one at seventeen thinks about repercussions, and most certainly no one at that age thinks about motherhood.

The blank screens became black holes that absorbed everyone's interest. The only sound to break through that silence was a shrill call from the ship's communication devices.

No one moved as it called out into the air for their attention. It took the fourth ring for Sarvis to fight through her paralysis and connect the call to her headset.

The SeeDs surrounding Rinoa waited in an unnerving reticence. It was as if they knew that the next time Sarvis would speak, their lives would ultimately change. The brutally clear on-air declaration of war all but ensured that.

For the next minute and half, Rinoa could only hear the sound of her heart failing, and did not notice when Sarvis had disconnected from the call. All she heard was a faint voice announcing that Code Red had initiated.

Those words, as simple as they were, transformed the soldiers around her. A hush swept over the team as they realized their new fate one-by-one. They began to man their stations in silence. An unscripted drill was being followed, and the look on their faces told Rinoa that this was a moment they had spent their lives preparing for.

They all understood what had happened, but Rinoa did not. She stood there alone and dejected, seemingly completely invisible to the mercenaries around her. It was as if no one could see the pain tearing through her as she clutched her chest.

As the room gradually filled with noise, Rinoa could feel herself fall in and out of reality. She was starting to feel light-headed from the growing deafening chaos around her. Her thoughts swirled around incoherently in her mind, driving home the point that she really needed to be alone—right now. Eyes were starting to flicker over to her, searing her with looks of hostility. Her guard went up as she tried to breathe through the panic attack she was experiencing, but they would not yield from their hateful glares. She could tell that they hated her, hated who she would become and wished that she was the one who was dying instead of their loved one. It was so unjust and so unfair that she wished that they all would just b-

A thought slipped through that blanketed her with a sheet of fear. She wanted them to burn. Those concepts that had worked their way through her panic were so paranoid and so angry that it made her take a step back.

It was a thought so unlike her it made her feel like she was being possessed. That split-second of darkness made Rinoa look around to see if anyone else had noticed the shift that happened inside her, but to her astonishment no one had. In fact, not a single person had been looking at her the whole time.

Had she imagined the whole thing?

Terrified, Rinoa's eyes darted to the floor as Irvine approached her cautiously; unaware of what was raging inside of her.

"You might think this is the worst of it, but you'd be wrong," he spoke under his breath with words only meant for her to hear. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for my role, Rin."

Fighting to stay composed, Rinoa didn't look up at the former cowboy as he addressed the audience behind her.

"She needs the truth, Leonhart. If we're doing this, we're doing this together. The whole team. No more secrets or lies."

No one addressed Kinneas' demands, but the lack of argument seemed to have locked them in as allies. The only questionable party in this room was now her.

"Bile soured her stomach as she turned to face the group, who stared at her with stilled breath. It was not surprising that the first pair of eyes she locked on to were equal to solid steel.

Holding tightly on to the railing behind him, the statuesque leader of the White SeeD offered her no words as he held onto his silence with a gutted expression. Rinoa searched Leonhart's face for the truth, but knew she was wasting her time.

She made the critical decision then to leave, despite the voices that called out for her. Only one heavy set of footsteps dared to follow her down into the belly of the ship, but he was wise in not saying anything to her until she reached out for her door.

"Coward."

Weighted by Seifer's words, Rinoa couldn't take another step. She didn't think she had the strength, but she surprised herself by turning around.

Pausing, the former Knight didn't say anything else to provoke her, and it was clear to both of them why. He saw in her what she had felt only moments ago. The thought that sent her into a panic was no longer invisible to others.

He had seen the piece of darkness—the one he insisted she was always capable of. He had been right this whole time.

She just hadn't felt it until now.

ooo000ooo

Sleep came first, and it was her kindest visitor. She dreamed of herself standing in the ocean waiting for someone who she knew would never come. Her second one was a lot less humane with his heavy-handed pounding.

She floated to the surface of consciousness as the errand boy who radiated with resentment pushed his way inside her room.

"Get up," Seifer commanded, standing a step away from her bed.

Struggling to stay awake, Rinoa peered up before asking, "Draw the short straw?"

A snort came from the scruffy blonde as he turned away with irritation. "How is it that I am the most emotionally stable person on this ship? I mean for fuck's sake, I'm supposed to be dead at the end of this."

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Not the only one," she reminded him.

"Looks like we have more things in common," Seifer chided, allowing his big frame to drop on her bed. "A penchant for moments of mental instability and death. We're such a great pair."

Without laughing, Rinoa swept him with a quick look. "Gee, wonder why we didn't work out."

Neither one of them said anything as Rinoa sat there feeling so mentally exhausted that it threatened to pull her under again.

"Tell me none of it is true." She was ashamed of the words that showed her weakness. In preparation for this moment, she tried to think of every possible scenario, attempting to imagine what Leonhart could have done to make her want to kill him. She failed to account for this. Even without the details, this concept was causing her to distrust Leonhart. If she were to believe Irvine, she had yet to scratch the surface of his betrayal, and that left her trembling with misgivings.

"You need to talk to him," Seifer emotionlessly informed her. "Talk to him?" Rinoa shot back incensed. "You want me to talk to him when I'm like this?"

"For Hyne's sake, Heartilly. Do I look like a dumping ground for your emotional problems?" Seifer readjusted himself on her bed to study her. "Look, if you've changed your mind, just go ahead and kill the bastard. It's not like anyone of us could stop you."

Rinoa balked at him. If he was the most stable one on this ship, they were all damned.

Seeing her take offense, Seifer grew more agitated. "Don't look at me like that when you were the one going all dark back there. You want to go crazy on his ass and light him up? Hell, I'll get you some gasoline"

Rinoa withdrew from the conversation with a new headache threatening to topple her. "I think I just realized why we didn't work out."

"Then stop pretending that a moment of darkness is enough to break you. You're not the only person depending on you now, so get your shit together."

Rinoa stared at her fingers, clutching the blankets that surrounded her. This whole time she had been only focusing on her regaining her Knight and never once did she think about what would come after their 'happily ever after'.

When the dust had settled from leaving Balamb on the quest to find Squall, buried instincts started to appear. As far as Rinoa knew, there had never been a documented case of a sorceress bearing a child, and was all but assured that option was lost to her.

She never spoke about the feelings that arose to anyone. She held that grief tight to her chest, waiting for a better time to mourn them.

Now by incredible circumstances, she faced an even more difficult notion. One day she would become a mother, but yet, may never be a mother. This impossible was possible. She just had no idea how to process all of this.

There was someone out there that was a piece of both of them. She questioned how it was possible, how old she was and who did she look like? At the same time, she wanted to know nothing. She was too afraid of making her real because the pain of betrayal would be there, and she wasn't sure she could forgive.

Exhausted by their bond, Seifer sighed. "I was talking about me, not the kid. You owe me a testimony."

Remembering that he was still there, Rinoa turned to the ex-knight. "Irvine said it was worse than this."

"Afraid, Princess?" Seifer challenged with a brow cocked.

Rinoa looked into the eyes that had haunted her dreams for so long. They both knew the answer; she was downright terrified.

A glimmer of truth had been exposed, and she was the only thing preventing the truth from unraveling.

ooo000ooo

Only a few remained in the control room when Rinoa emerged, Seifer a half a step behind her. The screens were now competing for her attention as various channels played numerous news feeds simultaneously.

Her sudden appearance had gained most of the White SeeD's attention right away, but the one person who did not notice remained transfixed to the feed.

"While the death toll estimates in Esthar climbs, we still have yet to hear a statement from the leader and former Commander Leonhart regarding the allegations of a child belonging to the Sorceress being in his possession. The world wants to know if there is, in fact a child, where is she and why the secrecy

Inundated with the disorder, Rinoa turned to the next screen as an Estharian Official spoke at a press conference. "I warn the public from jumping to any conclusions based off of remarks made by an enemy. There has never been a conception by a Sorceress in recorded history, so these claims could very well be fabricated as a distraction to confuse us."

Heart pounding, she looked at a blond shouting out to her from another screen. "Where is this child?! Why is it being kept secret? This is a SeeD conspiracy, and all that we ask is for is transparency. If this child weren't a threat then why would they keep her a secret? Garden has a lot to answer for, and the people demand to know the truth!"

"Leader?" A SeeD spoke up feeling uneasy with her presence.

"SeeD does not comment on rumors," Leonhart droned on, too engrossed to sense she was there.

"Ms. Heartilly, " Sarvis regarded, making the former commander grow rigid in his posture.

The combative reporting that followed the onslaught of images that detailed the devastation in Esthar fought her attention.

"How fair was this to the people crying in the streets? While citizens of Esthar walked around in ash caked robes trying to find their children's' bodies, the sole focus of the media was in finding hers'.

"Give us the room."

It was Leonhart's voice that snapped her attention back to those around her. The soldiers in cream-colored clothing turned towards Sarvis. The impending mutiny amongst the ship was growing more visible. This state was dangerous for all involved and at its center, Sarvis stood as the only link that protected her from them.

"Leader I-" she cut in, but met a harsh look from a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Leonhart leveled with her, holding on tightly to the chair in front of him. Shaking his head, he beseeched her.

"Everything we feared has already happened." he pointed out.

Rinoa recognized the fleeting look of pain behind Lani's eyes as she internalized his harsh words. Quistis, seated next to Lani, stood up with a cold expression daring anyone to challenge their leader further.

Soon the SeeDs followed suit one by one, walking past Rinoa with antagonistic looks.

"Sarvis," Leonhart's hardened expression never softened as he questioned her lack of compliance. "It's over."

Whatever he meant, seemed to do very little to persuade the SeeD in front of him who struggled to against the scrutiny.

Lani stood up, holding his gaze for a moment longer before turning to storm through the control room, pushing past Rinoa on her way out.

Guilt clutched at her chest as she caught remorse in Leonhart's expression, before turning up to the screens above him once more.

Rinoa looked behind her to see Seifer holding his own against the turn of events on the ship. Cautiously, he nodded in her direction before leaving her alone in the lion's den.

The screens went dark at Leonhart's command, and the silence that filled in. Only a few emergency lights remained on in the room, causing the shadows on the floor to grow long.

The two of them stood at a stalemate, as neither one could bring themselves to look at the other. Still, Rinoa could not focus on anything other than the second presence in the room. She watched Leonhart's body grow tired of supporting it's own weight from the corner of her eye.

"I'm tired of destroying you." His voice was textured by the anguish he felt.

The last thing she expected him was for him to initiate this conversation. The Squall from her time ran from confrontation, and certainly didn't invite it like he was doing now.

With his back still to her, his head hung low as he gripped the chair in front of him tighter. They both struggled with the unease they felt being in each other's presence.

"I don't know what you see when you look at me," he told her honestly. "But the guilt has been eating away at me for years. In some cruel twist of fate, you're here, and I just don't know how much more of this I can take. I'm tired of watching the only person I love grow to hate me."

HIs head rose once more, to look at the darkened screens.

"I know Irvine is right," He spoke softly. "Let's be honest, I don't deserve even half of what I have from breaking you. I should have told you the truth from the start, but I was so desperate to hold on to what I had with you here. The way that you looked at me… "

Leonhart turned to Rinoa then; his stunning blue eyes were now raw and bloodshot from the emotional damage the announcement had inflicted on him. With her guard up she hid the breath she pulled in from seeing him so emotionally exposed. The fear he once held back now held frozen from shock.

The way he looked at her sent shivers down her spine. Something had shifted in those pale blue eyes. The way they drew her in reminded her of a man being sentenced to die. He was committing every detail to memory as if this would be the last time he would ever see her.

His voice strained as he realized he had been silent too long, "I haven't seen that look of love from someone who hated me in a very long time. I was perpetuating a fantasy, one I know I don't deserve."

Being under his intense gaze for so long made her flinch slightly, and only then did he seem to realize he had been staring at her too long.

He looked down ashamed, "I keep hurting you, I keep hurting the people that are around me... and I'm tired. While I don't want to damage us, I understand that I don't have the luxury of choice anymore. Whatever you want, I'll tell you."

Standing before him, Rinoa shifted her weight slightly while he anticipated a reply. Biting down on her lip, she attempted to suppress the urge run. Vicious questions cycled through her thought processes, questioning her strength. What if the truth was too horrible to bear? Was it possible that she could hate him—the boy who had jumped out into space for her?

She looked down to the floor as her eyes closed. She fought against the crippling fear, and tried to remind herself what it felt like returning from near unconsciousness to see his bottomless blue eyes separated by a jagged scar holding on to her with an unnatural force. She needed to fight for those eyes. It was her turn to jump into the unknown and take a risk. It was her turn to save him. With that, she answered him the only way she could.

"Truth, Squall, I've only ever wanted the truth from you."

Those words made his lips part as a flash of remembrance came over him. Those words were still fresh in his mind despite the years that had gone by. Biting back his emotions, it took everything in him to submit to the nod that came.

Shaking, Rinoa looked at him knowing she needed to take the lead, "A daughter?"

She saw him choke for a moment while grappling on how to answer her.

He struggled to nod as he rasped out, "Ours."

The exchange seemed terrifying to him, and Rinoa hadn't considered until now that this may be the first time he had ever verbally mentioned that simple fact out loud before. That alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Blinking them back, she rapidly fired her next question, "How is that possible? Textbooks never mentioned Sorceresses being able to have children."

The air rushed out of him in a curt laugh as his gaze lifted, looking for an answer from a higher power, "Painful irony."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Rinoa squinted, feeling defensive.

Leonhart reigned himself in as he looked back down to her. "You don't understand what waits for us."

Frustrated, Rinoa gave him no room to sidestep her question, "Then start from the beginning."

"That's the problem. It's hard to figure out where it all began, our timeline isn't linear, but cyclical."

Seeing he was losing her, Leonhart closed his eyes tightly, making the fine lines starting to appear around his eyes deepen. As he worked his fingers through his hair, he spoke in melancholy voice.

"All I ever wanted was to grow old with you, but as you know that didn't happen. Every year that passed, my failure at keeping you safe became more evident as we all grew a bit older, but you remained the same. It was like... we were leaving you behind. The people around us started having families of their own, yet we couldn't. I wish I could have been stronger about it, but at the time it was killing me."

Her poker face must have failed her as he caught her eyes narrowing at that last statement.

"You've always struggled with the idea of me wanting a family." He noted dismissively.

"The boy I knew didn't like being attached." Rinoa reminded him.

To that he leveled with her in all seriousness, "You'll have a deep and profound impact on that boy. The man he becomes is someone who will want everything life has to offer. It wasn't right out of the gate, but after the war in Timber, a family of my own was all I could think about."

Trying not to let her emotions get carried away by that piece of information, Rinoa tried to recall what Quistis had told her earlier, "That war was nearly twelve years ago."

Squall nodded, knowing she was seeing the bigger picture, "The best educated theory of why we were childless had to do with the way you were biologically aging. Edea had aged slower, but you seemed nearly frozen in time. We sought experts in the field, but no one had any answers. Their theories were all the same. Because you absorbed multiple sorceress powers, you became the closest living thing to Hyne. Hyne is eternal."

Rinoa looked back with a new horror that she hadn't considered until now. "You're aging without me."

He nodded slowly leaving her a moment to digest that before addressing it.

"That realization left us critical. It was one thing that science couldn't help us have a family, but then we realized there would come a time when I could no longer protect you. You'd be alone and vulnerable."

He stopped, seeing her feeling the need to take a seat. She pulled herself to the closest chair and gripped its armrest. "Is this why I started to lose my mind?"

Leonhart clearly disliked her terminology as he looked away. "You were frightened of the future you had without us in it. People already knew of your existence, so it wasn't as easy as just disappearing. Right after the war in Timber, many had made arguments for sealing you, but you had powerful allies. Sooner or later they would disappear."

He woefully watched as she clung on to every word, and through the bond she felt him emotionally berate himself for telling her this.

"Don't stop," She warned him.

Taking a breath, he followed her command. "Because of it, you decided to tackle the problem head-on. If someone threatened you, you ensured they would not be re-elected into office the next term—through any means necessary. If Timber were threatened, you would be the first to strike back. I have to admit; the way you preferred to deal with that fear concerned me, but I understood it. I don't know if you know this, but SeeD will turn their back on us."

Rinoa reflected back to what felt like a lifetime ago. Back to when Cid had called the team into her office. She had been called into Cid's office the morning Squall had disappeared.

"Cid told me that Garden could not outwardly help me."

"That's the most dishonest way of putting it. Rinoa, the reality was much harsher than that. Not only did they turn their back on you, but I wasn't allowed to associate with you publicly except where they couldn't prevent it. I had to pretend you were nothing more to me than a former client."

Rinoa's arms instantly wrapped around herself. She hadn't expected that outcome from the older man who had seemed genuine with his words of comfort. Then again, this was the same man who trained his children to kill his own wife. It would be a mistake to judge him by his warm exterior.

"I had to make the choice. It was either you or Garden."

"Quistis said you would've stayed had it not been for me." Rinoa wanted to see what his reaction would be and was surprised by his unconcerned shrug.

"It was Garden who forced my hand. My choice will always be you."

"Except for now," She called him out and watched as his face fell. "Tell me, when did that change?"

Leonhart's gaze locked with hers, "I don't know the answer to that, Rinoa."

The conflict seemed to run through him as he tensed,

"People had sympathy to your cause. Not everyone was against what you had to do to survive— at least in the beginning. All you wanted at first was a world where you could live freely." He looked at her for a moment in silence, before finding the strength to admit, "I was terrified of your plan."

Her brows darted down as she questioned him mutely. He went on to explain, "You were making a world for us to live in, but you made more enemies every day. I was trying to find another way. I had hoped that a scientist could prove that you were in control of your powers and that there was nothing for us to fear."

"I participated in this?" She wanted him to clarify.

Without looking at her directly, he nodded, "The outcome did not favor us."

Her heart dropped as the air around her became this, "What do you mean?"

"The powers were taxing you physically and mentally. Memories of the past were starting to entwine with dreams of the future. They told us that as time went on, your lucidity could become impaired from paranoia. From then on, you wanted nothing to do with them. I continued to look for answers in Esthar thinking that if I could just make an Odine bangle strong enough to pull back some of your power, it would be enough to save you. I was terrified of losing you."

"This is the part that you did behind my back?" Rinoa asked coldly.

He didn't respond for a moment struggling on how to answer that.

"I wanted to protect you, but yes, I didn't tell you what I was doing while drifting from place to place. In the end, that tore us apart. You suspected me of deserting you for someone who would give me a family."

"I assume that's not true," giving him the benefit of the doubt.

A sense of relief washed over him, but it was short lived as he recalled what came next. "At the time SeeD was trying to pull me back in, and the world was starting to place pressure on me to take an official stance. In my absence, other men had filled where I had been with you..."

There was no missing the jealousy that reflected in his eyes, so bitter that Rinoa questioned if there had been an affair. She couldn't bring herself to ask for clarification.

His voice lowered, "I bounced back and forth for years trying to remain neutral as not to give SeeD any more of a reason to target you. But then you wanted to expand to Trabia, and it no longer mattered what side of the line I was on. You were an aggressor targeting a Garden's home base, and it was an act of war in their eyes. I had hoped losing me was enough to deter you, but it only made you fight harder."

Rinoa closed her eyes and put her head in her hands. She felt anesthetized to his story.

His voice was hoarse now from the dry artificial air. "I let SeeD use me as a pawn against you, but you saw through that. You hated me for choosing SeeD over you, although I only did it all in vain. I did all in my capacity to convince you this wasn't the way to obtain your objective, but I may have been less than compelling at times..."

Peering up from her hands, Leonhart remained silent, waiting to see if she understood what he was alluding to. Rinoa shook her head, causing the former commander to clear his throat.

"Sometimes during private negotiations, our anger would lead us into other unsanctioned activities," he clarified as his cheeks colored.

She was certain she turned a bright scarlet in response. "Oh," was all she could muster.

"It happened during one of those times," he continued to be vague.

"What? You mean-?" The room suddenly felt much warmer as Rinoa understood what he was referencing.

"Five months later I was summoned into negotiations on keeping Balamb's base neutral. It was the only way you would have gotten me into a room for a private audience, but I had no idea what I was walking into." Leaning against the back of the chair, Leonhart all but fell into thought.

"You stood up from the table and you were… " He gestured towards her stomach silently, "I thought it was a trick. I was angry because I believed this was an attempt to warp my dreams. I swore I was going to be done with you, but you had technicians in another room waiting to confirm it."

"It was real?" She still had a hard time believing it herself.

He nodded shallowly, "Once I saw the movement on the screen and I knew I couldn't leave. If the world were to burn, then I would stand by and watch it. It wasn't just about us anymore."

"Predictably, SeeD listed me as AWOL. They demoted Quistis. I guess if SeeD couldn't get to me, then they felt vindicated by punishing her. I would be lying to you if I said things between us improved. I had no role in your life besides the advantages our bond had in your strength. I had time on my hands and anxiety plagued me not knowing what the people around you had planned."

Rinoa couldn't look at him directly, this was far worse than she expected. When would she stop believing in fairytales, apparently they did not exist?

"They kept you out of the spotlight to protect your status. All the doctors were surprised with how your body responded to the child. With medical assistance, the baby was growing well, and they expected a full term delivery." His eyes lowered, and his voice became hushed. "But no one expected the accident."

"Accident..." The word rolled off her tongue and numbing her lips.

"You were thirty-four weeks pregnant when a car smashed through a barricade and collided with yours. When I got the call, they were panicked. I told them to go to a hospital, but they wouldn't listen to me. Instead, they took you to a private clinic."

Rinoa's eyes burned as she felt a tear trail from her check. Using the back of her hands, she dismissed the tears before turning away as the man in front of her grew uneasy.

"When I arrived, I remember following my wife's blood down an emptied hallway wondering if you two were alive. When I walked in-" He tried to speak, but was too caught up in the emotions. He shook his head, looking down for respite.

"I thought I lost the two of you. You had no pulse, and the baby wasn't moving. It barely took me a second to understand what I was walking in on."

She blinked, and slowly her mind caught up, and her breath stopped, "No..."

"In the rush, no one even thought to make sure a woman was on standby. You were dying, and our daughter was the only host present."

Her mouth dropped opened in horror, as anger pushed through all other emotions making her yell at him, "Don't lie to me!"

Seeing her pain, he looked down with tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry…"

Her hand went to her mouth as she closed her eyes to muffle the sob that left her. Leonhart stood there wanting to come forward and touch her, but she looked at him with flames burning in her eyes, giving him a fair warning to stay away.

Striking the tears away, Leonhart tried to forge on, "As soon as they pulled her from you, they stopped the bleeding, and your pulse returned. As our child lay unconscious for days, I knew what she had become, and so did the people around you. Everyone looked at this child—my child—and started planning their next step."

"I can't.'' She said, feeling the need to throw up overwhelm her.

The doors opened, startling both of them as Lani rushed in with a phone in her hand.

"Leader…" She paused on instinct, looking at Rinoa before looking to him silently.

Leonhart cleared his throat, trying to remove himself from his emotions to address her. Worse for wear, he nodded granting her permission to speak freely.

"They contacted us. They are safe in Safe-haven Thirty-two."

Rinoa saw a peace wash over him as he closed his eyes, "Thank you, Sarvis."

When Lani didn't move, Rinoa knew something else was about to drop on them.

"Sir, they are requesting your presence. They think it would be wise for you to come."

Panic reflected back at her, as Leonhart took an urgent step towards.

"Injures?"

Lani shook her head, "No, just scared. She wants you."

He swallowed thickly. "I don't know if I can do that."

"I agree, it's risking too much right now." Sarvis nodded.

"Take one of my transport pods." Rinoa only then saw Quistis leaning on the doorframe behind Sarvis.

Perplexed by the suggestion, Leonhart crossed his arms before speaking.

"That's what they want. I will not put her at risk."

Quistis didn't back down, "I know. Send your ship to Esthar and deploy a decoy to confuse them. They are looking for White SeeD ships, not a cargo pod."

Rinoa could see Leonhart fight against his own wishes, "It's too risky."

Folding her arms, Quistis let out a sigh before pulling herself from the doorway. As she came face to face with him, Quistis beseeched him to think this through.

"We have no guarantees on how this will turn out. You should see her one last time."

"She-"

"Let her see her daughter," Quistis cut him off pointedly. "It might be the only time she ever does."

Rinoa glanced between them. "The only time?"

Quistis turned to her with an unreadable expression as Squall closed his eyes, realizing where he had been cut off. Finding his voice, he met Rinoa with hesitation.

"I took off with our daughter before you ever had the chance to recover."


	20. Chapter 20: Test of Time

Beta: Bebedora

ooo000ooo

Chapter 20: Test of Time

ooo000ooo

Time had begun to turn into sand, and with each grain that slipped through her fingers, time was lost. It was as if their time together had never meant anything. No matter how hard Rinoa tried to grasp onto it, the faster the man in front of her seemed to disappear.

At some point she had risen to her feet, but the legs underneath her had become numb.

The shadows of the powered-down control room hid the light behind those blue eyes. Blue eyes that, in days' past, she had turned to when she felt like she was falling. In her time, they held the strength behind them that helped her stand when she thought she could take no more. Time had taken its toll on them and stripped away the fabric of what he used to be. And that knowledge made it damn near impossible to breathe, let alone speak.

She was losing him— them.

"You left me…" Her voice was as empty as she felt. "Like that?"

His lips parted to speak, but the truth suffocated him into unyielding silence. Held hostage by her words, Leonhart saved face by allowing his expression to remain neutral, despite their bond telling her that her words were like a knife to his soul. It was then, for the first time, that Rinoa saw him as he truly was.

Fissures had grown in the armor of the childish fantasies she had built for him, and like a dying sand storm, the mirage her dreams had built collapsed into nothingness. Now, Rinoa found she was left in the grips of reality, one she had never imagined before this moment.

There was never going to be a gilded white knight waiting for her at the end of this.

He was nothing more than a damaged SeeD— a broken man, who only stood on a broken promise in a field of flowers past their bloom.

Leonhart's bloodshot eyes shot up to hers after seeing the images she conveyed through the bond.

"No, " he defied her assertions, causing a pitiful laugh to tumble from her lips.

"No?" She challenged. "I gave you the child you always wanted but you left me there to die!"

Her words had conjured a flurry of emotions in him that varied from anger to remorse in a span of a breath. His face tightened as he looked down to collect himself.

"If you only knew," was all he could whisper until eyes, filled with devastation, found hers. In that unspoken second, his voice found its strength return tenfold. "If you only knew what I gave up that night, Rinoa. I gave up everything. If even an ounce of you thought I got something out of it, then you don't know a damned thing! "

He pulled back, finding himself on the verge of losing it all. " I sold my soul, to keep the two of you safe."

Rinoa recoiled from the unexpected emotional outburst when a voice intruded.

"This shit is getting old."

Rinoa didn't know how long Seifer had been standing at the door watching, but curiously he found it important to interrupt them at that moment. Rinoa casted him an accusatory glare that went unnoticed as his sole focus turned towards Leonhart.

"While we are so invested in the plights of your pathetic drama, we've got a shit-storm going on back in Esthar. We've got two anxious doctors in your office, and no fucking plan. We need to make our move before they make theirs."

One would have to be blind to miss the way he crossed his arms in that moment, as an act of restraint. Holding on to that defensive stance, his roving impatient glare moved across the room, but carefully deflected away from Rinoa instead of acknowledging her.

From the beginning she had never fully trusted his intentions. While outwardly Seifer had seemed to lay all of his cards out on the table for her to see, the way her heart pounded in her chest when Leonhart and Seifer gave each other measured looks told her she was being deceived in some way.

"How bad is it?" Leonhart asked Seifer pensively.

"If shit was peachy, I wouldn't be wasting my breath." Seifer pushed back, causing Quistis to roll her eyes at him.

"Enough, Seifer." She reprimanded before turning to Leonhart. "It's your call, Squall."

As the control room fell into silence, Leonhart turned away, looking back up towards the big blank screen as if guidance from them would come. It was only when Seifer let out a secondary exasperated sigh did their leader turn back with determination behind his words.

"We'll speak to the doctors first before dividing into teams."

"Finally," Seifer said facetiously, and he rose off the doorframe so the two knights came shoulder to shoulder.

Neither of them spoke, or even looked at each other, but between them they seemed to have crafted a way of communicating that kept her firmly secured in the dark. Rinoa hated the way everything seemed to be held just above her head.

Rinoa turned her back to the group. "I look forward to seeing what they brought."

She didn't need to turn around to know how immobilizing her words were on the two of them. Hell, if there was going to be a meeting on how to seal her, she had a right to be in on it.

"Rinoa, I-" Quistis went to protest but as Rinoa turned to face her, her objections were lost. At least someone knew how to pick their battles.

ooo000ooo

Two men stood behind Squall's desk, quietly arguing about their frustrations when Rinoa walked into the room with Seifer at her side. It was apparent by their panicked quarrels that recent events in their native Esthar had finally reached them, and they were so consumed by the news, they hadn't even bothered to look towards Rinoa until she had found a seat in front of them. When they finally managed to look her way, their dispute all but vanished.

Seifer fell into the creaking chair next to her, but never looked away from the foreign doctors. Just below the dark green water of his eyes was a menacing tide that threatened all who looked into them. The only thing more petrifying was the way he chose, at that moment, to let loose a half-cocked smile as both his offer of pleasantries and an invitation for a challenge.

Both doctors' expressions were ashen as they took in their new reality. Crossing her legs, Rinoa tried her best to mask the way her body was choosing to deal with her nerves. She had come to this meeting on her own choice, but her body wasn't willing to let her forget that none of this was what she wanted.

Leonhart made his presence known with a nod before finding a spot against the wall, closest to the door Sarvis and Quistis chose to barricade. It was then the doctors realized there was no way to escape from the shaking Sorceress in front of them.

Silence ensued in the room as Rinoa looked down at the silver case lying on top of the old oak desk.

"Is this what you're planning to use against me?" she asked, her attention never leaving the box.

She wasn't sure if the Estharian representative had even heard her by the way he remained silenced by her presence. The deep-set wrinkles around his eyes reminded her of old cracked leather, dried out by the desert sun. Flaxen hair was starting to thin and recede, but the brilliance of his sky blue eyes set against tanned skin told her that he was younger than his outward appearance might suggest. His lips parted to speak, but he had found his voice had gone dry.

"You're-" he croaked, before being interrupted.

"It's her. S-she's here to kill us." The younger assistant now drew in Rinoa's attention as he stumbled in taking a step back. His age was harder for her to pin down, with a round baby face that held on to his youth. The black tendrils that had fallen into his slate gray eyes were thick, and it was clear that most of his time was served indoors by the way his skin laid untouched by Esthar's climate.

The older gentlemen let out a hush as if he were scolding his young apprentice. He was quicker to come to terms with what he saw as his attention bounced back and forth between her and Seifer.

"You did it," was all he could say in amazement. "You brought him back, but-"

"I was the unforeseeable stowaway," Rinoa filled in, much to the scientist's delight at hearing her speak again. She looked back down to the box and motioned towards it. "Show me."

The doctor had difficulty pulling his attention away, but when he did, he was quick to start decoding the box's security panel. A wave of reality washed over Rinoa as the briefcase's interlocking mechanisms divided with a hiss, giving her the perfect view of its guarded contents.

In graphite colored Styrofoam, a hollow space had been carved to accommodate the silver gun that fit securely within its designated area. Next to it, two glass-like bullets seemed to be filled with a black substance. Lying off to the side was a pair of black rubber gloves, held snug by thick plastic straps.

One thing was for certain—this gun was far from military grade and its accuracy wasn't exactly the focal point in its design. The device itself resembled something closer to what one would find in a medical setting, rather than a battlefield. In fact, Rinoa was pretty certain something like that had been used to pierce her ears when she was a little girl. Certainly this thing was not capable of taking her life.

"May I?" The Scientist held his palms up, carefully expressing his intent to Leonhart first.

Squall grimaced, but submitted to his request with a nod as Seifer bristled with agitation. Evidently, he shared Rinoa's distrust of the men in the room and flinched as the lead scientist opened the barrel of the gun to prove it was indeed empty.

He then slowly offered the device to her for closer examination.

The air seemed to thin as she weighed whether she wanted to handle the very thing crafted to end her life, but in the end she found herself reaching out towards it, mesmerized by the weightlessness it had in her hands.

She placed the over simplified revolver back on the desk, and as if reading her thoughts, the older man jumped in with his explanation.

"It might not feel like much, but the prototype this was modeled off of sent bullets through some of the best armor suits at our disposal. The projectiles themselves are coated in the very same liquid they contain." He then delivered a cautious warning to Leonhart. "I must stress to you that physically handling them is not recommended, as they are extremely toxic."

Leonhart remained unreadable as he watched the doctor slip the black gloves out of the case and stretch them over his fingers. The man then carefully picked up the bullets and placed them one by one into their designated chambers.

Untrustingly, Seifer leaned forward on the edge of his seat with his elbows, resting almost the entirety of his weight on his knees.

"The antigen can inhibit magical energy while simultaneously using osmosis to remove any magical power from the target. This effectively neutralizes any magic barriers the antigen may come into contact with." He closed the barrel and carefully placed the gun back on the table before taking a step back. "It will only take one canister for the antigens to take hold. As we talked about earlier Commander, the heart will need to be preserved so the antigen can pump through the body. If it's not, I can't promise an adequate seal. I recommend aiming for the abdominal region."

Seifer grimaced. "Well that's one helluva way to go..."

"Seifer!" Quistis snapped from behind him.

Begrudgingly, the blonde fallen knight looked over his shoulder to balk at his former teacher.

"Oh, really, instructor? That's out of line?" he responded. "You're the ones who are paying charlatans to find a way to kill your friend, but somehow I'm the asshole? "

"You essentially figured out a way to eliminate all sorceresses," Rinoa interjected, ignoring the arguing around her. As it was explained to her, she was the only sorceress of her time period. If she had unintentionally passed along some of her power to her own child, that meant there were two in this time period. Rinoa stared at the gun containing two bullets.

Leonhart snapped reading into her thoughts, "You don't really think I could do that to my own child, do you?"

"Then why have two when the job could be accomplished with one?" Rinoa turned to him, demandingly. Eyes saturated in the color of a hurricane's mist interlocked with hers and for a moment, she was sucked into his mind with a collation of memories she had no ownership in. Recollections of sleepless nights with endless worries- to lazy summer days, basking in the sun with a small hand fitted snugly into his.

Rinoa was pushed out immediately, causing the room to twist around her as the lead scientist did his best to address her concerns.

"Truthfully, Sorceress, it all comes down to probability. One will probably do the job, but there was enough of the raw compounds to make two canisters. Should one miss, another can take its place. I have no intention of harming your little girl. She has been essential to my work."

No sooner did he say that, did Leonhart let out a frustrated breath.

"You let them use her?" she glared at him with anger.

His stubbled jaw cocked to the side, as he failed to look at her, but again she was pulled into a time where she didn't belong. Specifically, a memory of him lying in a cold bed with nothing but the weighted warmth of a small child resting on his chest as he watched out the window— too afraid to even close his eyes for a moment. It was Rinoa who then who pulled herself out from the tangled web of memories. Only a few last words left an everlasting impression on her mind.

I'm not the kind of monster you imagine me to be, Rinoa.

Completely misunderstanding her objection, the older doctor tried his best to deliver her assurance that the compounds could never be replicated, but the sound of his voice became background noise to the reality of what they were doing here.

That gun was going to end her life.

Her daughter was going to grow up motherless— without ever having known her at all.

No matter the circumstances that lead them to this, they were robbing their daughter of the very thing Rinoa had missed out on. Sure she had managed to preserve a few memories with her mother in them, but they would always be set from the perspective of a child. She wanted nothing more than to see her mother beyond the haze and glorification a little girl would have. She wished she had the fights, the tears, and the long heart-to-hearts other daughters had with their mothers. Instead, she knew nearly nothing about her, and it looked like she was powerless to stop history from repeating itself.

Now disinterested in the unfolding discussion, Rinoa's eyes lifted to the youngest man in the room, who'd remained curiously silent throughout the proceedings. Responding to her like a hairpin trigger, she saw the moment he snapped before anyone else, and by the time they did, it was too late. The gun was off the table, and Rinoa was staring wide-eyed down its barrel with no way to shield herself.

She went weightless as the weapon cocked, and a shot rang out, igniting a firestorm of vitriolic reactions. The world had gone sideways as she crashed to the old wooden floor— head first—hearing the crack before feeling insurmountable pain flash through her body. Subsequently, she nearly fell into pitch-black darkness; the only thing holding her to consciousness was the fury that funneled into her through the bond.

Buried in his rage, Leonhart had the man disarmed in a single movement. Seconds later, he had been forcefully thrown against the wall, with Leonhart's arm pinning his throat." The sheer momentum of Leonhart's actions had rendered him unconscious, but that was not enough to satiate the Leader's want for blood.

Rinoa found herself paralyzed and unable to breathe where she lay, as an all-encompassing pain threatened to take her under. A partial image of Seifer leaning over her to cradle her head between his hands was the only thing that kept her with them.

A warm and bitter iron flavor filled her mouth, causing her to sputter blood as she cried out in partial sobs, but Quistis screaming at Leonhart momentarily distracted Seifer from speaking.

"Let him go, Squall!"

Rinoa looked around, trying to find where the screaming was coming from, but Seifer held her head tighter, urging her to focus only on him.

"Heartilly?" He tried to get her to speak but pulled his left hand back, covered in her blood.

Unable to do anything else, Rinoa panicked, trying to secure the next breath of air she desperately needed as tears burned her cheeks on their way down.

"It's from the fall," he insisted, giving some context to the pain throbbing in her head. "You weren't hit."

The panic quelled enough for her to realize the source of blood in her mouth was from her nearly biting through her tongue.

"I'll cast a Curaga, but I need you to hold still," he demanded, raising one hand from the side of her face to cast the spell.

The spell was more than effective at alleviating a majority of her pain. While stiff and sore, all of the bleeding and swelling had subsided.

Now able to take in a shallow breath, Rinoa wasted no time in using Seifer's arm to raise herself up. From that vantage point, she was able to put what had happened together. It had been a gamble, but Seifer had pulled the chair out from under her in a last ditch effort to save her life. If the lack of a hole in her abdomen and the one in the bookshelf behind her was any kind of indication, Seifer's move paid off—he'd prevented premature sealing.

"You're killing him Squall! Let go!"

A wordless look from Rinoa was all that was needed for Seifer to help lift her to her feet. There, she saw the desperate struggle that was ensuing in trying to separate Leonhart from the offender.

The former commander's arm pressed against the lifeless man's throat as he was flooded with murderous rage, where nothing could get through to him.

"Stop…"

Rinoa's raspy voice was barely above a whisper, but the command forced the volatile knight a step back, allowing the young doctor's body to succumb to gravity.

No one said anything, as the nails digging into Leonhart's shoulder blade eased. All the unbridled rage within him collapsed, allowing him to return to his more milder self with a stunned look on his face.

"Damn it." Lani cursed, shoving Leonhart into Quistis before dropping down to the ground.

"He's not breathing," Lani reported back trying to find a pulse. "No pulse."

The second in command started to perform revival efforts as the group watched on in silence.

Breathing into the stranger's mouth a few times, Lani reached out once more to check for a pulse. Rinoa hadn't realized how tight her grasp had been on Seifer's arm until then, but she did nothing to move away out of fear that she would just find herself back where she started— on the floor.

Lani looked up to Quistis and only shook her head before continuing with her chest compressions.

Squall's eyes fluttered shut as he pulled away from Quistis, turning his back on the scene before running his fingers through his hair. Quistis let him go on his own accord and dropped down onto one knee to cast a Full-Life spell.

When the life-saving feathers, bathed in a holy light, floating down to the still body, the group seemed to lose hope when his chest did not rise once more.

Incensed, Seifer turned his ire towards the only person who hadn't yet moved in that room. No doubt the older doctor had to have heard of SeeD's ruthlessness, but it was clear from the way his eyes were wide that this was the first time he witnessed it in person.

"What the fuck are you trying to pull?" Seifer growled.

The older man raised his hands in peace, knowing he was guilty by association.

"I would never hurt the girl!" he stated as sweat collected on his brow. "You know this!"

"I believe him." Squall's head had been tilted down, but Seifer seemed less than convinced.

"There is nothing we can do." Lani announced standing up, making the situation sink in for Rinoa.

Licking her parched lips, she knew there was one thing they hadn't tried. "Let me see if I can revive him."

Lani looked up, skeptical, as Quistis rose to her feet with concern. The only person who did not make an effort to acknowledge her offer was the source of this dilemma. Rinoa took that as a sign of permission— or at least not an outright rejection. Seifer begrudgingly aided her in walking across the room to where she dropped like a leaded weight next to the boy who, only moments ago, wanted her gone.

Being this close to him now, he appeared to be a lot younger than Rinoa had initially thought. The way his black hair hung in front of his ashen face made Rinoa fight through the anxiety she felt, and she placed both of her hands on his chest before closing her eyes.

It was as if she were letting herself fall head first into the powers that largely had been ignored until now. This was far from the offensive magic she procured for her fight against Seifer. This magic she had only used once, and that had been a year ago in a barren field. There was no telling if she could replicate that kind of miracle once more, but she would be damned if she didn't try.

Like a lightning strike, a hot flash of searing magic burst out from deep within her soul and filled the room with a light that threatened the vision of all who looked directly at her. Then came the calmness after the initial storm. It reminded her of a place where time had not existed, where she stood above a cold body that no longer responded to her. Just then, an unnatural instinct took over, allowing a cold bubbling sensation to spread through her and drip down from her fingertips into the body below.

And in an instant, it was gone. There were no flowers or proof that the impossible had happened, except for the rise and fall of the chest beneath her hands.

Rinoa remembered herself then and looked up wide-eyed at the people who watched her in astonished silence. It was hard to miss that while Lani had nearly backed herself into the wall, the lead scientist had moved closer in fascination.

A visible weight had lifted from Leonhart as he looked down to see the man he had killed breathing. He rubbed his face roughly with the palm of his hands and he let a sigh go.

"That was extraordinary," the doctor whispered under his breath. "It's unlike anything we have seen from your daughter."

Unsettled by the older man's words, Rinoa allowed Seifer to pull her to her feet.

"Move him to a holding cell," Leonhart voice softly commanded, forcing Rinoa to face him.

"For what?" Rinoa questioned while allowing Seifer to put her arm around his waist for support. "For doing what you plan on doing to me anyways?"

She knew her words shot right through his heart the moment she said them, but backing down was not in the cards as she looked back to the lead Scientist with weariness.

"If I left him in your recognizance, could you ensure he would tell no one of what he saw today?" She asked.

A smile grew as he looked at the young man who remained unconscious on the floor, surrounded by SeeDs.

"I assure you that he won't be seeing anyone. His value to me is insurmountable."

The glints in his eye made Rinoa turn to Seifer as a desperate plea to go. She had seen that look in a man of science before, and she never wanted to think about Dr. Odine again.

ooo000ooo

The next few hours had been filled with logistics and internal fighting amongst the leaders, none of which mattered to Rinoa as she sat on the top of the ship's deck hugging her knees to her chest. While she wanted to present a strong front to the others, the truth was she was something closer to a fine feather balancing on a piece of thread. If the wind blew either way, she would tip, and Hyne only knew which side of the line she would fall on if she did. So for the sake of her nerves, she sat close by, but did little to interact with them as they struggled to settle on the next course of action.

"Three days to prepare for a full on assault is impossible." Quistis reasoned. "How are we supposed to find Dincht and convince him to betray the very person he left Garden for? Not to mention we have to gather enough troops to infiltrate the country and keep the element of surprise on our side."

Lani, who had been on guard at the ship's rail, turned away from her post, "We need as much presence in Esthar as possible to convince them that we are on the ground there and not on their front door steps. The only way we can do this is by dividing into teams."

Leonhart had remained silent until then, with his arms crossed in front of him and his weight gently falling to one side. "Any news about your family yet?"

That's what it took for Rinoa to finally look up. Much like her leader, Lani's silence seemed to serve for answers during difficult times. She turned back to her post without saying another word.

How anyone could keep things like this bottled up, Rinoa didn't know. Her fault was for leaning on the others too much

Quistis turned towards Seifer who lifted an eyebrow at her suggestion. "She's not wrong. Division of our forces might be the only thing that will work. If we were to keep their attention on too many places it would be easier for a few of us to slip in undetected. Then, as the larger groups convene to assault in one massive force, it would thin out the forces that the smaller assault group would have to face before getting to her."

"I'll lead the white SeeDs to Esthar." Lani volunteered.

Rinoa didn't need to look up to know that Leonhart felt guilty at that moment. Something told her that all was not well in the on and off again couple's relationship, most likely due to their late night confrontation.

"I'd like to make sure my family is safe. A few of the other officers are from there as well. I'm sure they will want to secure their country before we proceeding."

Leonhart granted her a nod. "I'll want you with her."

"Give me a day," she assured her Leader, "and I'll find a way back."

Seifer placed most of his weight against the ship's railing. "Sources tell me Chicken-wuss's fight club is operating in the basement of a private tavern in Dollet for the next four days. They say he opens it up for amateurs at the end of night. If we can get in, we might be able to make it to that portion."

"It's a workable plan. If we leave from the safe haven by a small boat we could easily board a worker's vessel to take us into the harbor." Leonhart theorized.

"Getting into the harbor isn't a challenge," Seifer pointed out. "It's getting past the border patrol. It's not as easy as getting a fake set of papers anymore, thanks to DNA registration."

"As I said before, we have people," Leonheart spoke more firmly.

"Right," Seifer scoffed. "And these people can get us through? Who is it, Hyne?"

Leonhart opted to say nothing as a young white SeeD cadet approached the group.

"Sir, the conditions look good for a smooth launch. We are ready for your command."

The cadet delivered a smooth salute before falling back a step to wait for Leonhart. Rinoa caught the hesitation that manifested before strict orders followed.

"Prepare six cargo pods ready for a scattered launch, but only three will need life support. We are not going to make ourselves an easy target should they spot them."

"How're you holdin' up?" came a voice so close Rinoa sat straight up, alarmed.

Seifer flinched back slightly before regarding her like she had lost her mind.

"Easy Heartilly, it's just me. You're acting like someone's trying to kill you."

Rinoa looked passed Seifer to see Quistis, Lani, and Leonhart following the young white SeeD cadet blow deck.

"It was a joke," Seifer frowned.

"A terrible one," she muttered, returning to look at the dirty tips of her combat boots.

Collapsing next to her, his sheer presence engulfed her in his shadow.

"Am I a terrible person for not wanting to meet her?" Rinoa asked.

It was then the two of them looked towards each other. Surprise registered on Seifer's face her question. Seeing that reaction confirmed her worst fears.

"I'm that shitty person," Rinoa noted his confirmation with a sigh, as Seifer stayed silent next to her. "I sacrificed myself, Seifer. I believed at the time I was doing the right thing, but as it turns out, I gave my life away and saved no one. It's not fair."

Seifer turned his attentions away for a moment, allowing Rinoa time to swipe at the tears starting to form. A troubled breath shakily left her.

"I know nothing's guaranteed to be fair," Rinoa responded to herself, knowing what he must be thinking. "But what if I take one look at her and realize Leonhart was right? What if I don't want to change the past anymore? What if I'll want to give up on a better future?"

Neither one of them attempted to fill the void after that, allowing Rinoa's thoughts to roam freely as the wind wildly passed around them.

At the start of this journey, she thought it would be as simple has finding out where they had went wrong and doing the exact opposite to ensure their future. Now that Rinoa had a better grasp on what the stakes were, her plans were just as fool hearty as her other ones.

Seifer's tone was solemn when he finally turned to her.

"None of this has to happen."

Rinoa pulled herself from the fixed spot she was looking at into eyes that wielded a dark cast. "We could say fuckall and go back— together."

Capturing her with his bold statement, the fallen knight seized her hand and painted a different future for her. "It could be like how it used to be. Just me and you kid."

His stern look held her ability to reason for ransom, as she was left with her words caught in her throat. Seeing his chance, he leaned forward, assertively capturing her lips with his in a way that prevented her from breathing.

Buried memories of their shared summer surfaced, but it was dim and lacked the qualities her soul needed to feel whole. The most noticeably absent was the way his warmth failed to spread through her in a way that would make her feel as if salvation was with her grasp. Her body failed to instinctively pull in towards him, and his hand felt cold and unnatural against her cheek. His touch only served to remind her of everything that she missed, and vividly remembering now made her heart drop like a stone in a pond.

When he slowly pulled back, the power of the late afternoon rays empowered the drive behind his unyielding eyes that waited for her to answer.

But the truth was, there was never a moment where she questioned whether or not to pull her hand out his grasp. The world around her may have changed, but the past she had been a part of had not. She may have not realized it back then, but Rinoa's world had changed in a way she had no control of and she was in too deep. Love, beyond all reason, is what had kept her going all this time.

A small smirk spread across his face as she removed her hand from his, giving him the answer he had expected.

"See? Not that shitty of a person after all," he murmured, before turning away.

A troubled sigh escaped her as she tried to find reasoning behind his actions. But the truth was, she would likely never know what his true motives were. For a split second, Almasy could convince her she was his entire world, but by the next prudent breath he would leave her struggling on her own, as if she had meant nothing at all. Nothing was ever quite what it seemed when Seifer was involved.

"She looks like you." He admitted, not allowing the tension to linger. "Hyne, the poor thing has your temperament too. Considering she has the unfortunate luck of being the result of Leonhart's DNA, I guess it could be worse."

That was a lot to process, and it left her in an uncomfortable space, hearing the details of what her future child was like from the man who tried to kill her only a year ago.

"I generally I find kids annoying but she's… alright. She's worth fighting for. Don't ever doubt that. " He shrugged before looking up at the cloudless sky. "If she wasn't, I would have taken you back from him by now."

"Wait, what?" Scrunching her face, Rinoa turned to look at him but by then, he was already on his feet and on the move.

"What is that suppose to mean, Seifer?" Rinoa called out after him.

"You're the strongest out of all of us, Rin!" He yelled back. "I can't fight this battle alone. I need you to fight for us."

With his back to her, Rinoa watched as the wind ravaged him, forcing him to bury his hands further into his pockets until he disappeared from view. She had expected a healthy dose of tough love, but his antagonizing methods were subdued by the way he focused on her hesitations. It was then, and only then did she realize Seifer was nervous by her reactions.

That was her warning.

ooo0000ooo

Coffins.

Rinoa was looking at coffins.

The crew below deck was starting to pull the cargo pods tasked with bringing the group safely to where her daughter was hiding. Admittedly, Rinoa hadn't put a great deal into thinking about what the plans had entailed but now seeing the coffin like metal bins being laid out one by one made Rinoa's stomach drop.

Each one that hit the wooden floor let out a metal ring that sent shivers down her spine.

"We're going to die in here." Rinoa pointed out, already mentally back out of this plan.

Seifer leaned against the back wall with his hands still buried in his pockets, looking just as enthusiastic about this place as she was.

Seifer Looked up to Quistis who was busy working with a technical engineer and asked, "Have you done this before?"

"Personally?" Quistis asked not looking up at either of them. "No. But Leonhart has."

"And it worked?" Rinoa interrupted when the discussion was only serving to fuel her anxiety.

Quistis was about to say something but stopped and sighed, "We've figured out how to do this."

"That's SeeD code for 'he almost died'." Seifer informed Rinoa dutifully.

Aggravated, Quistis gave Seifer a harsh side-glance, before giving up what she was working on to address the issues head on.

"We're going to cast a Sleep spell before casting Stop." Quistis informed her, before bending down to pick up a thin mask with a hand-held oxygen tank for her to see. "This has enough oxygen to keep a person alive until they reach shore. We will load each cargo pod one by one into the launcher, and launch it into the ocean. If everything goes right, you will only be out for an hour."

"And if the oxygen tanks fail, we're fucked." Seifer added with enjoyment, before pushing off the wall and finding a spot next to Rinoa.

Time had not fixed Quistis penchant for a good eye roll, as she tossed Seifer a small black bag.

"Sensors. Place one on your temple, wrist, neck, and chest. Both of you will be monitored for extra assurance," she said before going back returning her attention to the waiting cadet.

Rinoa clicked the black box with the toe of her boot as if considering its sea worthiness.

"We're going to be sitting ducks," she concluded.

"No," Seifer countered back unzipping the black bag. "Sitting ducks would still have a chance. We're fish in a barrel and someone above us has a stick of dynamite."

Rinoa grimaced as Seifer unpeeled a sensor and immediately slapped it side of her forehead, leaving a prolonged sting.

"Ow- hey!" Rinoa complained rubbing at the assaulted site. Seifer cheekily laughed while throwing her a pack of sensors. It apparently never occurred to him that she would turn around and slap one on his chest in retaliation.

The slap caused green tourmaline eyes to shoot up at her as he growled, "Oh, you want to do this, Heartilly?"

There was no room to run, and before she could scream, he retaliated by grabbing her arm and twisting upwards for a slap so loud that it earned stares from everyone within the room.

With a mixture of tears from laughter and pain, Rinoa swayed away before announcing her truce.

"Ok, ok! Seriously, you slap as hard as Selphie."

Disappointed, Seifer let out a small tisk, "You're no fun, Heartilly."

"Can you two keep it down? We're going to losing our launching window," Quistis chastised them before burying herself in her work once more.

Seifer's nostrils flared. "I still don't know if that tone pisses me off or makes me want her."

Rinoa's eyes widened, "Seriously? Quistis?"

Smirking, he peered over his shoulder to where the SeeD Commander took over entering their future coordinates into the computer. At first there was nothing outwardly remarkable, until Rinoa saw how tight Quistis' pencil skirt molded around her body.

Groaning, Rinoa turned her attention elsewhere.

"Glad to see you're moving on," Rinoa muttered, leading Seifer to deliver an all-knowing wink before offering her his hand.

"Your chariot awaits," he informed her.

"Wait, you're not planning on putting me under." Rinoa hoped to Hyne she was wrong.

"Quistis is locking up the coordinates and I don't think we want to take any more chances with outsiders. Want me to ask Lani or Leonhart instead?" He taunted knowing what her reaction would be.

She let out a sigh, knowing that was the last thing she would want and reached out for his hand. He smiled at the attitude she showed him as she stepped into the metal crate and gently lowered herself down.

The box gave her a small amount of room to adjust but once it was sealed, it would be nothing more than a glorified tomb. She tried hard not to think about that as she placed the oxygen mask over her head and secured it over her mouth. Seifer made sure the connections were secure before placing the canister between her legs.

While breathing into a mask was very uncomfortable, nothing compared to the feeling she felt seeing Seifer lean over her. Second thoughts started to creep in.

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this, " she stated, as the oxygen started to flow making her mind racing as fast as her heart rate.

"I'm so offended." Seifer deadpanned at the lack of trust he was being shown.

"I mean, would you trust me to do this to you?" Rinoa asked feeling the panic setting in and the need to scrap the entire mission.

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Hell no. I'm not giving you an opportunity to draw penises all over my face."

Rinoa laughed for half a second before the implications dawned on her.

"Wait—"

"'Night Princess," Seifer said sweetly as Rinoa faded into oblivion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo000ooo
> 
> Layla's corner
> 
> ooo000ooo
> 
> Hi, everyone! Man do I have a lot to cover in this little blurb here. First off I just wanted to say sorry this chapter got away from me for so long. The next chapter is SO IMPORTANT that my mind is already over there working on the details— and go figure— that is not helpful when you still have a chapter to get out. Still, I hope this was somewhat entertaining for you all.
> 
> I have a really cool story to be a companion in this time period. It's about Seifer's trail but I couldn't post it because it was too spoiler-ish for the next chapter. DAMNIT! No one wants that! So it's waiting for the right time to be posted. I can't wait for it to be!
> 
> Now I need to give credit where credit is due. A BIG thank you to H34rt1ly (Seriously writing your name out kills me every time) for pre-reading the story concept and guiding me. Sometimes writers get too wrapped up in their own stories to see straight. That totally happened to me in this chapter. Thanks for helping a friend out.
> 
> To my Beta reader, bebedora. You are freaking awesome for putting up with my bullshit. She is the shit people. No lies.
> 
> To my reviewers: Guest reviewer (wish I had a name for you.), Teksunai, Ursae Minoris, Team Wingless, Forest Owl Princess, CourtneyDB10, Silentstarlightsky, Lilyallure, H34rt1lly, Kate9692, and of course, Lecritic
> 
> Thanks for the support. You guys make this community, no joke. Thanks for teaching me how to be a better writer.
> 
> If Seifer were here he would tell me to stop ass kissing and get on with it. So I will…
> 
> As you can see I have a new cover. I painted it! Hope you like it. I also have a TUMBLR account under my pen name.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/laylaevercrest
> 
> Follow me! You can get to know me, look at my pics from Africa, see what cool things I'm up to, hell, go on and yell at me to get back to writing too! I encourage that shit!

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Hate It? Review so I know!


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